


Family Bonds

by kylar



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Yakuza, Eventual Graphic Smut, Guns, M/M, Major Character Injuries, Mental Illness, Mentions of Past Assault, More tags to be added, blood tw, established relationships - Freeform, lots of crime and violence, lots of pining, mentions of past rape, mutual pining but kuroo doesn't know that, no major character death tho i'm too weak, only a little bit of volleyball, semi slow build, uni student!kenma, vague smut, with everyone but kuroken, yakuza boss!kuroo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:15:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 34,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22214668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kylar/pseuds/kylar
Summary: As underboss and heir to a prominent yakuza clan, Kuroo is no stranger to violence and crime. But conflict is stirring near Nekoma's eastern border. Incidences have been increasing, members and clients alike getting attacked, and all signs point to their neighbor to the east: Shiratorizawa. Kuroo knows, more than anybody, that there's only one way for a yakuza war to end, and he'll do whatever it takes to avoid that outcome. His family means everything to him, and is all he's ever known, and he's desperate to protect it. But what happens when he crosses paths with a stranger that manages to worm his way into Kuroo's heart from their very first meeting? Will he be able to form an attachment with someone outside his family? And if he does, will he be able to split his attention between this outsider and avoiding a yakuza war without making a fatal mistake? What will happen when this outsider discovers who Kuroo truly is? Will he be forced to choose between love and family? Will he even be able to make that choice?
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 83
Kudos: 210





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Thicker Than Blood](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6780301) by [kylar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kylar/pseuds/kylar). 



> Hello y'all. This is an aged up, increased violence and angst, decreased volleyball rewrite of my yakuza fic Thicker Than Blood. If you follow me on tumblr, you may know this was coming. For those who don't, I was recently motivated to write Akaashi and Bokuto's sidestory to Thicker Than Blood, but after a reread of the fic, I realized that I could've done so much better with it. So I decided I was going to rewrite it with a few tweaks. When I finish the rewrite, I'll then start working on the sidestories. Originally, my idea wasn't to alter the original fic very much, only implement the few changes listed above. The goal was to make it a more realistic yakuza setting and less of a high school/volleyball setting. What I didn't anticipate was that it would completely change the entire fic. So it may start off pretty similar to the original, but I'll warn you now that that's where the similarities end. I'm already 26.5k into the rewrite and it's entirely different. Most of the main, basic plot points still exist, but the way they are connected and how they go about happening in the fic is totally different.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy! As I said, I already have quite a bit written, but don't expect regular updates for this fic. I'll slowly post new chapters as I get more written, but I don't want to end up posting faster than I'm writing. I'd rather have regular slow updates than a bunch of quick updates followed by months of radio silence. If that makes any sense....
> 
> (Also, for any of you that are reading Blood In My Veins, I promise I haven't stopped working on that fic, and I have no intention of abandoning it)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who are new to this au and didn't read TTB, or if you did but have forgotten the terminology, here's a couple of translations:  
> kumicho- the boss or head of the entire yakuza clan  
> wakagashira- the kunicho's main underboss. often also the heir to the clan  
> shateigashira- underbosses to the wakagashira, heads of subgroups of the clan  
> kyoudai- senior members of the clan, taken to mean 'older brother'  
> shatei- junior members of the clan, taken to mean 'younger brother'

“Oi, Kuroo-sama~.”

Kuroo hesitates in his approach just enough to be late to the toss. He ends up having to pop the ball up over the net with the tips of his fingers, but it lands in the sand behind the blockers, just shy of Yaku’s outstretched hand.

Kuroo turns to look for the voice that had called out his name. Oikawa is standing on the deck, hands on his hips, and that ever present coy smirk on his face.

“What do you want, Oikawa,” Kuroo says by way of acknowledgement. The other guys on the court know a break when they see one and head to the wrap-around deck to grab for water bottles and towels. Kuroo picks up his own towel and wipes it across his dripping forehead. It’s only April but it’s already starting to get uncomfortably warm in the afternoons. And the humidity definitely doesn’t help.

“Ooh, touchy,” Oikawa snickers. He holds out a cold water bottle and Kuroo doesn’t hesitate. He takes a deep swig. “You losing?”

“Ohoho he’s getting _crushed_ ,” Bokuto declares, bounding up to the two of them and slinging an arm over Kuroo’s shoulders. “Our young boss definitely needs some more practice, cause he’s floundering out there.”

Kuroo gives Bokuto a flat stare before turning to the man sitting down the deck talking with Sugawara. “Akaashi!” he calls. “Bokuto says he’s tired and doesn’t want any more sets.” Akaashi simply nods and turns back to his conversation with Sugawara.

“Hey hey! I didn’t say that!” Bokuto splutters.

“Well, as wakagashira, I have decided you’re tired and don’t want any more sets,” Kuroo says. “Let’s see who gets crushed now.”

“But-! Akaashi~!”

Akaashi doesn’t even look at Bokuto when he says, “Wakagashira’s orders.”

Bokuto continues to splutter as Kuroo tries to stifle his laugh. He returns his attention to Oikawa. “I’m sure you had a reason for interrupting the match.”

“As much fun as it is to watch the two of you banter,” Oikawa says, “Kumicho wants to see you.”

Kuroo exhales sharply, tossing his towel and water bottle onto the deck and climbing up to join Oikawa. “Ugh, what did I fuck up this time?”

Oikawa follows on his heels as Kuroo pulls open the sliding door to head inside. “He’s not always wanting to yell at you. Sometimes he has nice things to say.”

“Yeah, but the more involved I’ve been getting in the family, the less nice things he has to say to me,” Kuroo grumbles.

“Well if it’s any consolation, he didn’t seem mad when he asked me to get you.”

“You know how he is though. The less mad he appears, the madder he actually is.”

Oikawa winces. “This is true.” But then he waves it off. “You’ll probably be fine. He’s never _actually_ mad at you. He just pretends to be. Trust me, I’ve seen him when he’s actually mad and… yeah he’s never been like that with you.”

They reach Nekomata’s office and Kuroo knocks once on the wooden door frame. All he hears is a grunt in reply and slides the door open. Nekomata is seated at his desk, looking over paperwork in a thin file. He doesn’t look up at their entrance, and Kuroo takes a seat on the rickety chair positioned in front of the desk. Oikawa sits in the only other chair in the office against the back wall beside one of the many filing cabinets in the room.

“You wanted to see me, Uncle?” Kuroo asks, trying to get comfortable in the small chair. Kuroo’s suggested- more than once- that he replace it with a new one, one that’s even just a little more comfortable, but Nekomata insists that it’s the perfect chair. Kuroo knows it’s because, if he’s calling members into his office for a… _discussion_ , that he wants them to be uncomfortable in every way possible. That doesn’t stop Kuroo from suggesting anyway.

Nekomata looks up at Kuroo from his paperwork, then glances over at Oikawa. “I didn’t ask you to accompany him,” he says.

Oikawa shrugs, trying to get comfortable in his own chair by crossing one leg over the other knee. “If I stayed out there I would’ve been bored.”

“What he means,” Kuroo is quick to interpret, “is that no one picked him to play on their team so now he’s salty.”

“Am not!” he argues with a pout.

Kuroo smirks, leaning back in his chair as he turns his attention back to Nekomata. “Case in point.”

Nekomata rolls his eyes as he looks back at his books. “I called you in here because I need you to cover Hanamaki’s patrol tonight. He’s laid up after the little shit got his wrist broken in that fight last night. Are you familiar with his route?”

“Uh, mostly. Why me though? Why not one of the shatei?”

“He has two dues collections that need to be picked up tonight. Aoba Johsai’s other kyoudai are all otherwise engaged and you know how I feel about asking guys to cover patrols outside their region,” Nekomata says. He glances up at Kuroo over the top of his glasses. “Regardless of my reasons for asking you to do it, it wasn’t a request.”

“Yeah yeah I wasn’t saying I wasn’t going to do it. Just curious is all,” Kuroo says, lifting his hands in a defensive fashion. “Who are the collections from?”

“Uehara at his bar and also…” He grabs a heavy bound journal from the side of his desk, pulling it in front of him and quickly flipping through the pages. “Fujimoto Tetsuya, from his house. Have Oikawa go over Hanamaki’s route with you. You also need to do some drop ins. I don’t care who, but hit up at least a dozen of our clients while you’re patrolling. Show them your face, remind them of our presence, greetings and assurances and shit. Think you can handle it?”

“I’m not a naive teenager anymore,” Kuroo snorts. “It’d be great if you’d acknowledge that and stop treating me like one. I’ve been on patrols before. Many of them.”

“I’ll stop treating you like an insolent brat when you stop acting like one,” is Nekomata’s immediate retort, but it’s not hard. It’s laced with nothing but fondness. “Now get out. Sun’s almost set which means you best be on your way. If the Nekoma clan doesn’t tolerate tardiness from our clients, we must hold our members to the same standard.”

“Understood, boss,” Kuroo says with a salute as he stands. Oikawa also stands and they turn for the door but Nekomata stops them.

“Oi, take a dog or two with you, and try to keep a low profile. Shit’s been stirring up in that area recently and I don’t really like the thought of you being out there unprotected. Especially not after what happened to Hanamaki on that route.”

“I won’t be unprotected,” Kuroo assures him, patting his hip despite that his gun is still in his room. “But I’ll take a dog too, just to make you happy. And hey, maybe if I pull this off without any trouble, you’ll finally have a reason to stop treating me as a kid.”

“Just get out of here before I change my mind and never let you leave the house again.”

“Yeah yeah, I’ll be back soon.” He grabs a set of car keys out of the lockbox on the wall. “With your money and your trust.”

“You’ve always had my trust, Tetsurou.”

“Don’t get sentimental on me, old man.”

Nekomata just snorts, and Kuroo leaves the office with Oikawa. They head down the hall to Kuroo’s room where he pulls out his deep red yukata and a matching unmarked haori. He has another one with the Nekoma clan seal emblazoned on the back, but that one only gets used when on official clan business in the house or in other clans’ headquarters. Very rarely is it worn out in public.

Kuroo knows of the trouble stirring in their eastern region that Nekomata mentioned. He could choose to wear a suit, which would keep him a little more under the radar than his yukata, but he decides against it. He needs Hanamaki’s clients to be able to recognize him as a member of Nekoma, since they won’t be familiar with his face. But even with the deep red yukata, if they doubt Kuroo’s identity, he has plenty of tattoos to prove it.

As if reading Kuroo’s mind, Oikawa says, “I’ll give Uehara-san and Fujimoto-san a call to let them know to expect you instead of Makki. They shouldn’t give you much trouble, but just in case.”

As Kuroo gets dressed and secures his firearm in the sash of his yukata, hidden from sight beneath his haori, Oikawa pulls up a map of the northern region on his phone. “This is Makki’s shift,” he says, outlining the part of town with his finger. “If you take nichome all the way from here to here, then loop back around on yonchome, that’ll cover most of the shift. Do you know where our clients are located in his area?”

“Not all of them. Only a few actually,” Kuroo says after a moment of thought.

“Hold on,” Oikawa mutters, leaving Kuroo’s bedroom. He returns with a wrinkled and well creased section of what used to be a larger map. It looks like if it were to be unfolded and refolded only a few more times, it would rip along the creases. A few pieces of tape seem to be all that holds it together. Oikawa unfolds it to reveal Hanamaki’s territory, drawn over with shift routes and with all of Nekoma’s clients marked in a red pen clearly in Hanamaki’s handwriting. “Don’t lose this. Pretty sure it’s Makki’s only copy. These are all our clients in the area. Hanamaki visits here, here, and here very regularly though, so you might want to stop there and assure them he’s not dead, since he won’t be stopping by himself tonight. They’re not regular stops because they’re difficult clients or anything like that though. Quite the opposite actually. These two are bars, and this is where we host one of our underground poker clubs. He’s just a regular at these places is all.”

Kuroo nods, looking over the piece of map once more before folding it up and tucking it into his yukata _._ “Thanks,” Kuroo says. “Do you want to tag along? It’s going to be pretty boring by myself.”

“I wish, but I have my own collections to do, and I have a few clients that have requested meetings that I need to see,” Oikawa frowns. “If you make Uehara’s your last stop though, I’ll meet you there at… two? We can get a drink and head back together if you feel like dropping me off on your way.”

“Yeah, let’s do that. You ready?”

Oikawa nods and the two of them head into the yard. Kuroo makes a stop by the kennel on his way to the garage, snagging a chain and leash before whistling into the yard. The three dogs still on the property come barreling up to him, and he secures the chain to a large Doberman and clips on the leash. “Let’s go, Tatsu.”

Oikawa is his usual talkative self as Kuroo drives them out of the compound and towards town. Of course he whines about not being chosen to play in their little match tonight, but he also complains about how much work he has to do, how unruly his brothers are, and anything else he can find to complain about. In between all of it though, he sneaks in advice for Kuroo and worries over him in a very discrete way, as if Kuroo hasn’t been on dozens of collections or patrols. Kuroo has long been used to it though, and he actually finds it comforting rather than annoying.

Kuroo, Oikawa, and Bokuto are practically inseparable. Kuroo considers everyone in his clan a brother and treats them as such, but he’s always considered those two to be more than clan brothers. Sometimes, in the midst of their bantering and troublemaking, he’ll even forget that they’re not actually blood brothers. Kuroo grew up in the clan and the two of them joined very young. They quickly became very close, and their bond has only grown in the years since. As Kuroo came of age and started to become involved in clan affairs and business, the two of them grew protective over him, Bokuto more so than Oikawa considering that his main priority as shateigashira of Fukurodani is protection of the blood family- which, since the clan massacre nearly ten years ago, is just Nekomata and Kuroo. They usually find excuses to accompany Kuroo on family business, but when they can’t, they try their best to advise him and generally annoy him with their mothering.

“I wouldn’t broadcast the fact that you’re Wakagashira, if I were you. You never know how that’ll go over with some of these clients. I mean, they need to know that I’m a shateigashira, since I’m ultimately their highest authority, you know? But sometimes I think it’d be so much easier if they didn’t know. Remember that one client we had to get rid of a few years ago because he kept trying to take advantage of the fact I was a shateigashira? Asking for favors and shit and trying to use me to get into meetings with Kumicho? So annoying…. But these guys don’t need to know that you’re Wakagashira. In the long run, it won’t make any difference to them or how I have to run them. It doesn’t really matter though with our older clients. The ones that have proven their loyalty. Makki has the join dates of all the clients in his territory on the back of his map. But really, the less people that know you’re Wakagashira, the easier it is to protect you.”

Kuroo nods, pulling out the map and flipping it over to read the dates scrawled across the back. Some of them even have stars or are underlined to indicate the best and troublesome clients respectively.

“Oh and you shouldn’t go flashing your gun around unless you absolutely need to. A lot of the lower ranks don’t even carry them in case they end up catching the attention of the police. Except for Kyouken-chan. Do you remember last year when Kumicho had a hell of a time trying to get the police to release Kyouken-chan after they found a gun on him?”

Kuroo laughs, remembering the event well. He doesn’t address Oikawa’s fussing, instead letting him transition into his story telling. It always goes like this, Oikawa sneaking words of wisdom into the middle of his normal banter to try and disguise it, or to pass it off as nonchalantly as possible, and Kuroo lets him get away with it. He knows if he were to call him out on it, Oikawa would just resolutely deny it.

When they get to Oikawa’s shift, Kuroo drops him off with a promise to meet him at Uehara’s bar at two. Oikawa adjusts his haori and checks his hair in the mirror before stepping out of the car. His phone rings as he does, and all Kuroo hears is “Iwa-chan!” before the door closes and Oikawa walks away.

With the setting of the sun, the heat of the day has dissipated into a nice, cool evening, so Kuroo decides to park the car at Uehara’s and patrol Hanamaki’s route on foot. And with the dog with him, he decides it’s better to let him out to stretch his legs rather than keeping him cooped up in the car all night. It’s never a good idea to keep a highly trained, high energy attack dog locked up in a small space with you for hours on end.

The dog follows tight at Kuroo’s side like the well trained dog he is as Kuroo makes his rounds. He enters a few businesses and knocks on a few residences as he walks, keeping a smile on his face to show Nekoma’s kindness and a Doberman at his command to show their strength. For the first few hours, everything is quiet. Almost too quiet for Kuroo’s liking. He can feel himself growing bored. A few times, when he passes a park, he lets Tatsu off his leash if no one else is there to play a few rounds of fetch with the hyperactive dog. It does a little to relieve his boredom, to change up the routine of walking the route, if just a little.

He’s just clipping the lead back on and exiting the third park he’s stopped at that night when a strange movement catches his eye. There’s a man sneaking along one of the paths at the other end of the park, mostly hidden by thick bushes and short trees. His attention is focused sharply ahead of him, and Kuroo looks to see that he’s focused on a lone figure standing at a bus stop. The figure has his hood up and his attention on his phone. He also appears to be wearing earphones. In other words, he’s completely vulnerable. A quick glance up and down the street reveals that it’s completely deserted at this late hour, and the sneaking man’s intentions become immediately apparent. Especially when he pulls a knife as he closes in on his unsuspecting victim.

Kuroo frowns, patting the dog on the neck to get its attention. He hurries forward just as the man reaches the kid, grabbing the handle of his backpack and pulling him around to greet his knife.

“Oi!” Kuroo calls, then at the dog, “Tatsu, intimidate.” The dog immediately starts to snarl and bark, the leash snapping taut as he lunges forward. Kuroo is nearly pulled right off his feet by the sheer strength and weight of the dog, but doesn’t let his stride falter as he jogs towards the mugger. The boy’s wide eyes don’t seem to know where to focus; on the man brandishing a knife at him or on the man in a yukata with a snarling Doberman making a beeline for them. “What do you think you’re doing?” Kuroo shouts.

The man doesn’t stick around long enough for Tatsu to reach him. As soon as Kuroo calls to him, he spins around and takes off back through the park. Kuroo has the momentary thought to simply let go of the leash and tell the dog to chase. It would serve the mugger right for trying to attack someone on Kuroo’s turf. But all of Kuroo’s attention effortlessly slips away from the retreating man when he reaches the terrified boy and gets his first good look at his face.

The boy’s hood has slipped off to reveal blond hair with black roots in desperate need of new dye, and wide golden eyes that still appear so soft despite being full of fear. He’s beautiful and Kuroo can’t bring himself to look away.

When the boy starts to back away, Kuroo raises the hand not holding Tatsu’s leash. “Tatsu, calm.” The dog instantly stops it’s barking and plops itself down onto Kuroo’s foot, tongue flopping out of the side of its mouth as it pants happily up at Kuroo. “Are you okay?” Kuroo directs at the boy.

The boy doesn’t answer right away, glancing between Kuroo, the dog, and where the mugger had disappeared to. “I, uh…” he murmurs, barely loud enough for Kuroo to hear.

“I don’t know how far you live from here, but would you like us to walk you home?” Kuroo finds himself offering. He hadn’t even made the conscious decision to help this kid get home safely, but that seems to be all he’s capable of thinking about at the moment. He really doesn’t want to leave him here alone to find his own way home.

“It’s only a few stops…” the boy mutters.

“Let me walk you then,” Kuroo says. The boy looks down at the dog still sitting on Kuroo’s foot again, and Kuroo lays a hand on Tatsu’s head. “You don’t need to worry about him. He’s very well trained, and I doubt anyone will try to hurt us with him here.”

After what seems like a very long moment of thought, the boy nods. Kuroo doesn’t know why he feels so relieved. The kid points down the street, and Kuroo shakes the dog off his foot to fall into step with him. They walk in an awkward silence for a few minutes, and Kuroo is just about to break it when the kid speaks.

“Sorry, I’m just… not really a dog person. I don’t hate them, they just… scare me a little….”

“Yeah, I prefer cats,” Kuroo answers. At the kid’s confused look, he scrambles to think of a way to correct his slip up. “Oh, uh, this is my brother’s dog. I like to bring him with me when I go out alone, cause like I said, no one will mess with me with him here.”

The boy actually smiles at that, and Kuroo is relieved to see that he doesn’t seem as scared anymore. He still seems rather quiet and drawn into himself, and definitely a little nervous, but maybe he’s just shy. “I love cats.”

“Do you have one?” Kuroo asks.

The boy shakes his head. “I want one, but my landlord doesn’t allow pets. I know my neighbor has a cat, and I’m thinking about getting one anyway, but I’m afraid of getting evicted.”

Kuroo hums, trying to ignore his immediate desire to get a cat for this kid. He doesn’t even know his name and he’s already wanting to give him gifts. Maybe that’s where he should start; with his name.

“My name is Kuroo, by the way. Kuroo Tetsurou.”

“Kozume Kenma,” the boy replies.

Kuroo glances at Kenma’s backpack. “Are you a student?” _Please don’t say high school please don’t say high school._ He looks a little old to be in high school, but Kuroo finds himself mentally pleading anyway.

“I just transferred to Tokiwa University. I only had one year left at my last school but… things happened and I had to move.”

Kuroo tries desperately to hide his relief. “Ah okay. What do you study?”

“Game design.”

“Oh wow that’s really cool. You must be pretty smart then.”

Kenma ducks his head with a shrug, hiding his face from Kuroo. They fall silent again, and it threatens to grow awkward. Kuroo scrambles to find something- anything- to say, but he’s lived his whole life in a yakuza house. He doesn’t know how to hold a casual conversation. What does one even talk about with a stranger one finds themself inexplicably attracted to when one’s entire life is built around the fact they’re the underboss of a yakuza clan? Apparently nothing because the silence only continues to stretch on.

“Was there a festival today?” Kenma suddenly asks, nearly causing Kuroo to jump out of his skin.

“What?” he questions in confusion.

“Your yukata.”

“Oh! Uh, no, uh… I’m meeting some friends, and we all like to wear our yukatas sometimes when we go out.” Kuroo flinches at how unconvincing that sounds, but under pressure apparently that was the best he could come up with. Usually he’s so much better at thinking on his feet and coming up with things quickly, but for some reason this stranger is really throwing him off his game.

But if Kenma finds anything strange or off in Kuroo’s response, he doesn’t show it. He nods, and they fall back into a slightly less awkward silence. This time, when Kuroo tries to think of something to say, he doesn’t shy away from what he knows.

“You should be careful in this area after dark,” Kuroo finds himself saying. “This city is normally pretty safe, but recently there has been an unusual increase in… you know, crime and shit in this area. That’s why I brought my brother’s dog with me.”

“Do you live around here?” Kenma asks him.

“Oh, no, but my brother works around here. A lot of my br- my friends work around here, actually. We live on the other side of town though. I’m just here to meet them for some drinks,” he fumbles. Maybe he should just stop talking all together before he really slips up.

“Well, I’m glad you were here tonight,” Kenma murmurs.

 _Yeah, me too_ , Kuroo thinks, but doesn’t say it out loud.

“And thanks. You know, for intervening. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been there.”

“There’s no need to thank me,” Kuroo says. “It makes me so mad when people try to hurt and take advantage of innocent people. It’s cowardly and low, and I won’t stand for it. Not when there’s something I can do about it.”

Kenma smiles, and Kuroo tries not to feel too embarrassed by his little speech. Kuroo nearly opens his mouth to take it all back, to brush it off, but then Kenma stops and gestures toward a small, old row house wedged between two much larger, much more modern apartment buildings. It looks like something out of the Meiji period, made of wood and well worn and weathered.

Kuroo’s eyes widen a little as he recognizes the unassuming row of doors along a narrow alley littered with bicycles. The landlord is a client, and Kuroo had just stopped by here less than an hour ago to check in on him. Kuroo tenses on the sidewalk, and takes an unconscious step backward. He can’t let the landlord see him. He can’t be outed as yakuza in front of Kenma. Normally he’s not one to try and hide who he is. He actually holds a lot of pride in his clan and what they do to help their community and the morals they stand for. But for some reason, the idea of Kenma discovering his true identity sends fear lancing through his whole body. He wants the chance to grow closer to Kenma before that truth comes out. He wants Kenma to realize that he and his clan are more than just brutes with weapons.

Kenma turns to Kuroo and rubs at his arm. “Uh, thank you for walking with me, and uh, you know, for earlier.”

“It really wasn’t a problem,” Kuroo smiles. He needs to leave before the landlord sees him and mentions something to Kenma. But he’s also enjoying Kenma’s quiet company a little too much. “But if you have any friends that live around here, maybe you should consider heading home together. Like I said, crime has been on the rise in the area. Maybe not a good idea to be out here alone. Especially after dark.”

Kenma frowns, looking down at the pavement. “I just moved here this week for school. I don’t know anybody here.”

“Well, you know me,” Kuroo blurts. Kenma looks back at him with a raised eyebrow. “I mean… kinda… I guess.” Kuroo clears his throat and tries again. “I just mean that, I know this area pretty well- well I know the whole city pretty well- so if you need anything or want me to walk you home again, I could give you my number. Uh, I know that sounds pretty presumptuous, so of course you can say no. I just thought that maybe-”

Thankfully Kenma cuts off Kuroo’s rambling by holding out his cell phone to him. There’s a small smile on Kenma’s face that shuts him up, and Kuroo is grateful that he hadn’t dug himself into too deep of a hole. He takes the phone and saves his number into the contacts. He tries not to snoop, but can’t help but notice there are very few entries.

“Feel free to text me whenever, about anything. Like I said, I’m really familiar with this city. If you’re lost, or you need a ride home, or just want restaurant recommendations. Whatever. Don’t be afraid to use that number,” Kuroo says as he hands the phone back.

Kenma nods. “Thanks Kuroo. Maybe I’ll see you around.” With that, he offers a small wave and heads into the row house.

Kuroo decides not to stick around too long. As it is he’s already behind schedule, and if he wants to get through the rest of his stops and get to Uehara’s on time, he’s going to have to be quick about it. With a pet to Tatsu’s head and a smile growing on his face, Kuroo returns to his rounds with a mental reminder to thank Hanamaki for getting into that fight and busting his wrist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much sooner introduction of Kenma in this one. Let me know what you guys think, and if you enjoy the changes!


	2. Chapter 2

When Kuroo arrives at Uehara’s bar, the closed sign is flipped, but the lights are still on. And Kuroo is late, so he knows Oikawa and Iwaizumi are probably already inside. Sure enough, Oikawa and Iwaizumi are already seated at the counter, each nursing an open beer bottle. An older man stands behind the bar, cleaning up for the night. All three look up at him when he walks through the door.

“You’re late, Kuroo-sama~,” Oikawa hums.

“Sorry, something… came up,” Kuroo apologizes, unclipping Tatsu’s lead and letting the dog trot up to Iwaizumi. The dog lays his head against Iwaizumi’s legs and Iwaizumi absent-mindedly strokes the dog’s ears.

“Oh?” Oikawa questions, diverting all of his attention to Kuroo as he sits in the unclaimed seat next to him.

Kuroo ignores him for the moment though. He can tell him about what happened after he finishes his business for the night. He turns his attention to Uehara behind the bar. “I apologize for my lateness, Uehara-san, but I’m here in Hanamaki’s stead.”

“Oh, yes, Oikawa-san mentioned that the young wakagashira would be here tonight instead of Hanamaki-kun. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kuroo-sama,” Uehara says with a low bow.

“The pleasure is mine,” Kuroo replies with a bow of his own.

Uehara passes Kuroo a beer before disappearing from behind the counter into a back room. He returns a moment later with a thick envelope which he hands over to Kuroo. “And actually, I included a little extra in there, because I have a request of you.”

Kuroo raises an eyebrow at Uehara, opening the envelope and quickly counting the cash. He gives a nod to Oikawa and Iwaizumi to confirm the extra cash. “What’s this request?”

“Well, a couple of nights ago, there was a… confrontation. A couple of boys from the neighboring clan came by while my son was tending the bar. He tried to kick them out, but they started to make a scene, and one broke a bottle over his head. He needed sixteen stitches and has a concussion.”

“Why didn’t you inform Hanamaki about this?” Iwaizumi questions with a frown.

“Well, I had hoped it was just a one time incident and that it wasn’t worth bringing up with you boys. But last night I saw them stalking around in the area. I couldn’t tell if they were the same boys that attacked my son, but I know they were Shiratorizawa members.”

“Last night?” Oikawa repeats, looking to Iwaizumi. “Makki was attacked not too far from here. Do you remember what time that was?”

“Hanamaki-kun was attacked?” Uehara questions in concern.

“He called me at just after eleven,” Iwaizumi says.

“I noticed the boys at around… maybe ten thirty?” Uehara says.

The three yakuza look between them, Uehara watching them with a nervous expression. Kuroo starts to get a nervous feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. Nekoma has never been on good terms with their neighboring clan to the east, but they’ve never really been confrontational. For the most part, they’ve stayed on their own sides of the border and avoided each other. But if Shiratorizawa has been sneaking across the border and picking fights with Nekoma members and clients, then something is changing.

“I’m going to call Hanamaki, see if he can remember anything about the guys that attacked him,” Iwaizumi says as he stands from the bar stool and pulls out his phone. “I know he said he didn’t get a good look at them, but maybe he remembers more now that it’s been a day.”

Iwaizumi steps away from the bar as he dials Hanamaki. Tatsu jumps up to follow. Kuroo and Oikawa share a look of concern between them. They’ve grown close enough over the years to communicate with each other with just a look. Kuroo knows that Oikawa is thinking the same thing he is: that Shiratorizawa’s encroachment means nothing good. But how do they go about addressing it?

Kuroo reaches into the envelope and pulls out the extra cash, sliding it across the bar top to Uehara. “If the extra is to buy added protection, or for us to retaliate against Shiratorizawa for injuring your son, then it’s unnecessary. We don’t take lightly to other clans sneaking into our territory and attacking our clients or our members. Don’t you worry. We’ll take care of them. Oh, and you don’t need to worry about whether an incident is a one time thing or not. You don’t need to worry if it’s yakuza related or just some neighborhood thug. You tell us, and we’ll take care of it. That’s what we’re here for. That’s what you pay us for.”

Oikawa nods in agreement and Uehara bows his head low to Kuroo, murmuring a quiet ‘thank you’. Kuroo takes a sip of his beer to try and hide his growing embarrassment. He’s not sure what’s up with him and giving heartfelt speeches today, but he wishes he would stop.

Iwaizumi hangs up the phone and takes back his seat on Oikawa’s other side. “He says that they could’ve been from Shiratorizawa. Says they knew how to fight and were wearing dark reddish jackets and black facemasks. Could’ve been maroon and hard to tell in the dark.”

“We’re going to have to bring this to Kumicho’s attention,” Oikawa says, taking a long swig from his beer. Kuroo and Iwaizumi follow suit. Oikawa sighs, and it’s only slightly dramatic where he’s concerned. “He’s not going to like this. Not even a little.”

“That’s an understatement,” Kuroo mutters into his beer.

The three of them fall quiet, likely all imagining how that conversation is going to go over. It’s not going to be pretty, and none of them are looking forward to it. Oikawa drains the last of his beer and slams his glass to the table, as if to punctuate the end of that conversation. His little hum as he turns to fully face Kuroo signals the start of a new one, and Kuroo instinctively tenses as he waits to see what it is Oikawa has on his mind. Although, he has a pretty good idea.

“So, what _‘came up’_ on your way here, Kuroo-sama~,” Oikawa asks, giving Kuroo a once over. “You seemed to have a little… _pep in your step_ when you got here.”

“Oh, it was nothing,” Kuroo tries to dismiss. But Oikawa is having none of that, his inquiring gaze never once wavering. Kuroo sighs and runs a hand through his hair. He knows Oikawa isn’t about to let it go, so he might as well rip off the bandaid and get it over with. “It’s really nothing. I just interrupted an attempted mugging. Kid at a bus stop got a knife pulled on him. Tatsu scared him off, no one was hurt, that’s all it was.”

“I’m sensing this isn’t the whole story,” Oikawa says. “Are we talking a little kid? Did he hero-worship you? Or are we talking an older kid? Your age kid? Did he hero-worship you or did he _worship_ you?”

“No!” Kuroo splutters, but his face immediately heats up at Oikawa’s implication and Oikawa smirks, latching onto that reaction.

“Oooh, look at those cheeks! Maybe he didn’t _reward_ you, but you wanted him too, didn’t you. Was he cute? Tell me about this kid you heroically rescued,” Oikawa teases, resting his chin on a palm.

“No, it wasn’t like that,” Kuroo insists. “I was just trying to do something good. Why do you always make everything sexual and weird?”

“Yes, why, Shittykawa,” Iwaizumi questions.

“Oh don’t pretend you don’t love it, Iwa-chan.”

“I’m not pretending anything,” Iwaizumi hums innocently, taking a sip from his beer. His other hand falls to rest on Oikawa’s thigh though under the counter and Oikawa turns a flirtatious look onto him.

“Can you guys not do this while I’m sitting right here?” Kuroo asks, but secretly he’s grateful for Iwaizumi shifting Oikawa’s attention off of him.

It doesn’t last long though. Kuroo didn’t expect it to. Once Oikawa grows interested in something, he’s like a dog with a bone that refuses to let go until he’s satisfied. He spins back around to pin Kuroo with his stare. “You didn’t answer my question, Kuroo-sama.”

“That’s because I didn’t hear a question.”

“Don’t get smart with me. Tell me about this kid you saved. At least tell me if he’s cute.”

Kuroo can feel his cheeks coloring again and tries desperately to hide it by lifting his glass to his lips. There’s only a little left in the bottom of the glass though, and when he drains it, he’s forced to meet Oikawa’s knowing look. Kuroo sighs, knowing that no matter how hard he tries, he just can’t hide anything from Oikawa anymore. The two of them have grown way too close over the years. Just like Kuroo can read all of the little emotions Oikawa tries to hide behind his disarming smile, Oikawa can read everything Kuroo tries to hide behind his own nonchalant façade.

“Okay okay,” Kuroo huffs. “Yeah, he was cute. Really cute. He just moved here for his last year of college. He was quiet and kind of shy, but I don’t know if that’s how he always is or if it was just because he had almost gotten mugged at knifepoint. He let me walk him home and he ended up opening up a little to me. I babbled way too much and said some kind of embarrassing shit and sounded like an idiot but, he was just so cute, I had no control over what came out of my mouth. I ended up giving him my number and telling him to call me if he ever needed anything or wanted me to walk him home again.”

Oikawa’s eyes are wide as Kuroo finishes spilling his guts, and even Iwaizumi is staring at him now. All hints of teasing have left Oikawa’s expression, fondness taking its place. “Aw, Kuroo-sama has a crush,” he coos. “You know, when people get hero crushes, it’s supposed to be the person that was saved getting a crush on their savior. Not the other way around.” Okay, _almost_ all hints of teasing. Kuroo rolls his eyes but Oikawa grows serious. “Were you outed?”

Kuroo shakes his head. “No, not as far as I know. I didn’t say anything, but I don’t know if he suspects or not. I mean, I’m wearing a yukata walking a Doberman at one in the morning. It wouldn’t be a ridiculous assumption to make.” Kuroo frowns, looking down at his hands on the bar top. “He lives at an old row house owned by a client I had just paid a visit to only an hour or so before. I don’t know if the landlord saw me drop Kenma off, but if he did I hope he doesn’t say anything.”

“Which client is it?” Iwaizumi asks. Kuroo pulls out the map and points out the location of the old building. Iwaizumi makes note of the client. “I’ll give him a call in the morning.”

“You really don’t need to worry about it,” Kuroo says, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I don’t even know if I’ll ever see him again. No need to get a client involved in this since it probably won’t even matter in the end. It’s just nonsense anyway.”

“Aw don’t think like that!” Oikawa says. “You’re very charming, Kuroo-sama. I’m sure you’ll hear from him. Right, Iwa-chan?”

He turns to elbow Iwaizumi in the side, and Iwaizumi nearly chokes on his beer. He turns a glare onto Oikawa, then gives Kuroo a flat look. “Very charming, Kuroo-sama.”

“Shut up,” Kuroo grumbles. Iwaizumi finishes his beer and Kuroo stands. “Let’s get out of here. We need to meet with Uncle first thing tomorrow morning and decide what to do about Shiratorizawa.”

Oikawa groans, but gets to his feet and drops a few bills onto the table. The Nekoma clan has an unspoken policy not to take too much from their clients for free. Most of the time they’ll pay for meals or drinks or other services when at a client’s business. It helps keep their clients in business, despite the dues they pay to Nekoma. It also helps the members show their clients a little respect, and put them on more equal ground. Nekoma doesn’t like to rule over their clients like feudal lords . Nekoma expects loyalty, and the best way to get it is to treat their clients with respect and give them a reason to want to be loyal.

Kuroo passes the leash over to Iwaizumi and they all leave the bar with a bow and wave to Uehara still cleaning behind the bar. Despite spring being in full swing, the cherry blossoms blooming all throughout the city and surrounding hills, the nights are still chilly. Kuroo pulls his arms inside his yukata to keep his hands warm.

Kuroo lets Iwaizumi drive them back to the house, for no reason other than he wants to be able to answer his phone if he gets a text. He sits in the back seat with the phone in his hands in his lap, waiting for it to vibrate. He knows it’s ridiculous to expect Kenma to text him at almost three in the morning right after just meeting him, and he doesn’t even know why he wants Kenma to text him so bad. But he hopes nonetheless. And half an hour later when they pull into the garage of the compound, Kuroo is only disappointed. He knew he would be, but it’s still… well, disappointing.

In the house, Kuroo heads to Ukai and Takeda’s room and knocks once. He hears Ukai mutter something Kuroo assumes is permission to enter and pulls open the door. Ukai is lounging back in bed with a cigarette and a volume of Shonen Jump. He glances over the top of the book, just long enough to nod a greeting at Kuroo. Takeda is seated on the floor at his desk, working hard on their finance books, just as he always is. The accountant looks up at Kuroo’s entrance, and offers him a soft smile. Kuroo has never seen the man upset or tired or frustrated, anything other than happy. Or determined, if he’s doing some rather difficult calculations.

“Hello, Kuroo-sama,” he greets. Kuroo hands him the two envelopes he collected that night and Takeda accepts them. “No trouble?”

“Not with the collections, no,” Kuroo answers.

Takeda turns to him more fully with raised eyebrows. “Oh?” Even Ukai lowers his magazine to give Kuroo a curious glance.

“Yeah, I’m meeting with Kumicho tomorrow, so everyone will hear about it soon enough,” Kuroo says.

Takeda looks back at Ukai, a little concerned, but Ukai just huffs, turning back to the magazine. Kuroo gives them a bow before leaving the room. He checks Nekomata’s office and finds it empty, just as he expected. His bedroom door is closed, which means he’s not to be disturbed. It will just have to wait until the morning, then. Just down the hall, the door to Bokuto’s room is open, so Kuroo pokes his head in. He finds Akaashi alone in the room.

“Bo not back yet?” he asks, entering the room and sitting beside Akaashi at the low desk. He makes sure to sit close enough that their knees touch and can practically see the tension leave Akaashi’s body.

“No, but he’s on his way,” Akaashi says.

As if they had summoned him by speaking his name, the door leading out onto the porch is thrown open and Bokuto bustles in. He shucks off his haori and tosses it towards the closet as he makes his way over to Kuroo and Akaashi seated on the floor.

“Hey hey hey! We having a party in here? Without me?!”

“I literally just sat down,” Kuroo says, sliding over so Bokuto can take a seat between the two of them. Bokuto takes the offered seat and Akaashi leans into him. “Busy night?”

“Yeah it was crazy! I caught this little punk trying to sell drugs behind Old Man Ukai’s place,” Bokuto says enthusiastically. “Had to show him why that was a really bad idea.”

Akaashi and Kuroo both instinctively look him over and glance at the haori lying on the floor. Kuroo doesn’t see any blood, so he probably didn’t shoot the kid. But Kuroo could’ve guessed that he hadn’t. Bokuto’s first resort is never his gun. He prefers to flex his muscles and intimidate people. He’s even admitted to Kuroo more than once that he doesn’t like using guns. They’re too loud and messy for him, and he doesn’t like that the damage they do can be so much more permanent than any bruises he may cause with his fists.

“Did you make another kid piss himself?” Kuroo laughs, leaning back onto his hands.

“Hell yeah I did! That’ll teach that kid to ever try and sell drugs on our turf.” Akaashi pats Bokuto’s thigh proudly and Bokuto drops an arm over Akaashi’s shoulders, pulling him closer into his side. “How was your night? You were running Hanamaki’s route?”

Kuroo hesitates. He didn’t say anything to Ukai and Takeda because it’s an unspoken practice in Nekoma to discuss issues like this with Kumicho before sharing it with everyone else, but Kuroo has always been bad at keeping things from Bokuto. Nekomata likes to know everything before everyone else, but Kuroo doesn’t care that much about his uncle’s ego.

“If Nekomata decides to share this with everyone tomorrow, act surprised,” Kuroo says, gaining both Bokuto and Akaashi’s full attention. “Hanamaki’s fight last night might actually have been with some boys from Shiratorizawa.”

Akaashi’s nose wrinkles and Bokuto slams a hand down onto the tatami floor. “What?!” he shouts.

“Shh,” Kuroo hisses. The three of them sit in silence for a long moment, listening closely to hear if anyone was roused, especially Nekomata in his room two doors down. When they don’t hear anything, Kuroo continues. “A few Shiratorizawa members attacked a client’s son earlier this week, and he saw more of them hanging around his bar last night just before Hanamaki was attacked.”

“Those little snakes,” Bokuto hisses.

“You’re thinking of Nohebi, love,” Akaashi corrects with another pat to Bokuto’s thigh.

Kuroo and Bokuto stare at Akaashi for a long moment, then Kuroo snorts a laugh and the tenseness in the air that had started to build breaks. Bokuto laughs and Akaashi smiles at his own joke.

“So you think Kumicho is going to do something about this?” Bokuto asks.

Kuroo shrugs. “He’ll definitely respond passively. Heighten presence and all that shit. What I’m worried about is his active response though. You know how he can be, and although I’d love nothing more than to give Shiratorizawa a message they’ll never forget, I’m nervous about him starting a war.”

“Kumicho does tend to overreact,” Akaashi says, careful to keep his voice quiet. “More dangerously though, so does their kumicho. And their young wakagashira will follow whatever their kumicho says. If we retaliate too strongly, they very well could declare war on us.”

Silence settles over the three of them as they consider what going to war would really mean for their clan. _Yakuza_ wars are almost never bloodless. They’re destructive and deadly and even if they win, it could take them years to recover. Kuroo and the Nekoma clan have already been through a devastating war. Kuroo is not at all eager to relive that. As the kumicho’s only blood relative, he’ll be the only one with the authority to remind Nekomata exactly what it’ll mean for Nekoma if he reacts too strongly to this incident. That it’s important they don’t antagonize Shiratorizawa into a war.

With an exhale that softens into a sigh, Kuroo stands and stretches. “Well with that wonderful thought, I’ll bid you two goodnight. I’ll let you know how this all goes down in the morning.”

“Do you want to stay?” Akaashi asks, also getting to his feet.

“Yeah! Sleepover!” Bokuto cheers.

“Is it really a sleepover when we live in the same house and my room is literally right next door?” Kuroo questions, but he doesn’t refuse.

“It’s the spirit of it,” Bokuto argues.

“Yeah, yeah, alright. Let me change and I’ll be back.”

…

_To: Tooru  
jankenpo over who has to tell uncle?_

The light from Kuroo’s phone is the only light in the room. Kuroo squints against it. Bokuto and Akaashi are still asleep next to him, but he imagines Akaashi will be awake soon. He’s always been an early riser, despite the time he goes to bed the night before- or that morning. Kuroo hadn’t slept well though, and finds himself awake at an unreasonably early hour. He has a feeling Oikawa is also already awake. He too is a perpetually early riser.

_From: Tooru_  
 _No way wakai-sama. This is all you. I’ll just be there for moral support (_ _ﾉ^_ _ヮ^)_ _ﾉ*:_ _・ﾟ_ _✧_

Kuroo exhales sharply, dropping the phone onto his bare chest.

“Everything okay?” Akaashi murmurs quietly beside him. Bokuto continues to snore on Akaashi’s other side.

“Yeah. Oikawa is being a bad subordinate and won’t tell Nekomata about Shiratorizawa for me,” Kuroo answers.

Even in the dark, Kuroo knows Akaashi is smirking. He can hear it in his voice when he says, “Are you scared of him, Kuroo-sama?”

“Shut up, I’m not scared,” Kuroo says. “You know how he gets when he’s angry. Even if it’s not directed at you, it’s easy to get caught in the crossfire.”

Akaashi is more serious when he next speaks. “Perhaps. But if anyone has the authority- or the ability- to keep him rational while he’s upset, it’s you.”

“I know,” Kuroo sighs. He frowns, slapping at his cheeks a few times. “C’mon Tetsurou, you’re a fucking yakuza wakagashira. Stop whining and get your shit together.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Akaashi chuckles.

Bokuto stirs slightly next to him, flopping over and wrapping a thick arm around Akaashi’s upper body, but doesn’t wake. Akaashi turns into him, bringing a hand up to his face to trace the lines of his cheeks and jaw. Kuroo takes his cue to get up and get ready for the day. He unlocks his phone as he leaves Bokuto and Akaashi’s room and heads next door to his own.

_To: Tooru  
yeah fine whatever. you ready?_

_From: Tooru  
As ready as I’ll ever be! _(๑•﹏•)

Kuroo quickly gets dressed into a simple t-shirt and jeans, then waits with his bedroom door open for Oikawa to meet him. Despite the early hour, the halls are far from empty. The door to the Fukurodani common bedroom across the hall from Kuroo’s room opens and closes as brothers head to the kitchen or the bathroom or out on early routes. He can hear some of the louder voices of Nishinoya and Tanaka and Yamamoto from down the hall where the greeting room is, likely eating breakfast before heading out.

A light knock on Kuroo’s door frame draws his attention, but it’s not Oikawa. Suga peeks his head into the room. “Good morning, Kuroo-sama.”

Kuroo waves for him to enter and Suga takes a seat on the futon next to Kuroo. “You heading out on a shift?”

“Yup, just waiting for Daichi to get his ass out of bed.”

“Sounds about right,” Kuroo laughs. “You might want to wait a little while before you leave though. Oikawa and I are meeting with Nekomata as soon as Oikawa finishes making himself beautiful. He might call a family meeting. Even if he just calls for his shateigashira, you know how he likes you and Daichi there anyway. Eventually he’ll just suck it up and promote Daichi to shateigashira and have two in the Karasuno group. Your group is by far bigger than the others. Another shateigashira would probably help Ukai out a lot.”

“Hmm,” Suga hums in agreement. “This meeting with Kumicho…. Is it serious?”

“Could be,” Kuroo answers.

Oikawa appears in the doorway then, and the two stand from the futon. “Good morning, Koushi-kun!” Oikawa smiles with a wave.

“Good morning,” Suga returns with his own sunny smile. Kuroo loves both of these men, but when they’re together, it’s just too much upbeat smiley cheer for him. Even if Oikawa’s is a mask, he can be just as radiant as Suga. “If Kumicho doesn’t call a family meeting, let me know what’s going on.”

“Of course, Koushi-kun,” Oikawa replies.

Oikawa follows Kuroo out of their room and a few doors down the hall to Nekomata’s office. The door is open and the two of them step inside. Kuroo eyes the chair against the back wall, but Oikawa quickly seats himself in it with a smug smirk. Kuroo huffs and takes the chair directly in front of Nekomata’s desk. Nekomata watches the two of them with a curious, even slightly wary, eye. Kuroo fidgets slightly in his chair. He’d swear it feels even more uncomfortable than it usually does.

“What’s this about?” Nekomata asks after a silent moment. “Did you fuck up last night?”

Kuroo gasps, a hand flying to his chest. “Of course I didn’t _fuck up_ ,” Kuroo says with mock hurt. “How could you think me so incompetent, Uncle?”

“Then why are you in my office?”

“ _I_ didn’t fuck anything up,” Kuroo says, deciding to approach this with a lighthearted attitude. Maybe if he keeps his own attitude light, it’ll help keep Nekomata calm. At least, that’s his hope. “That was all on Shiratorizawa.”

Nekomata freezes for a moment. “Shiratorizawa?”

“Yeah, Uehara said a couple of their boys attacked his son a few nights ago, and after talking with him, we figured out that Hanamaki’s attack may have been by Shiratorizawa boys as well,” Kuroo tells him.

The pen in Nekomata’s hand creaks, and Kuroo is afraid he’s about to snap it. It’s silent in the room for a long moment, the tension in the air thick and stifling. Eventually, Nekomata’s boring gaze leaves Kuroo and pans over to Oikawa. “Get Hanamaki in here,” he says. His voice is even, calm, and Kuroo knows he’s absolutely furious. “Now.”

Oikawa quickly pulls out his phone and dials Hanamaki. “Rise and shine, sleeping beauty. We need you in Nekomata’s office. … _Yes_ now. Hurry up.”

“Were you aware of any Shiratorizawa activity in our territory?” Nekomata asks of Oikawa.

“No, sir,” Oikawa answers. “Criminal activity in Aoba Johsai’s region has been increasing, as you know, but none of the reports I’ve received from my boys have included anything about Shiratorizawa. If they’ve been involved in any of it, they’ve been discrete about it.”

“And yet Uehara was able to identify these shits as Shiratorizawa?” Nekomata shouts angrily, slamming his pen down onto his desk. “How was a civilian able to identify them over members of my clan? Why don’t I give him Hanamaki’s job?” Just then Hanamaki knocks on the door and Nekomata snaps for him to enter. “How the fuck did you miss the fact that your attackers were Shiratorizawa?”

Hanamaki drops immediately to the floor, his forehead pressed to the floor between his hands, the right one bound in a thick red cast. “Forgive me, Kumicho. It was dark and they jumped on me from behind. I never got a good look at them and I didn’t see any crests or markers when they ran off.”

Nekomata exhales sharply and rubs at his temple. Hanamaki doesn’t move from his prostration on the floor, and Kuroo glances back to share a look with Oikawa. The three of them let Nekomata think, and hopefully calm down. Kuroo takes the opportunity to go over ways to present what he discussed with Akaashi and Bokuto last night. He can’t let Nekomata antagonize Shiratorizawa into a war. But Nekomata can be stubborn, so Kuroo needs to be careful with what he says and how he says it.

Eventually Nekomata sighs and looks back up. “Get up,” he nearly growls at Hanamaki and he quickly straightens, but stays on his knees just inside the door. “Are there any other incidents on your route that you think could’ve involved Shiratorizawa?”

“Not off the top of my head, sir. Everything lately has been small things, petty crime. But I’ll go over the reports I gave Oikawa again to make sure,” Hanamaki promises.

“Do it,” Nekomata says, then waves a hand at him to dismiss him. Hanamaki stands, bows low at the waist, then leaves the office. “Uehara said his son was attacked a few days ago?”

“Yes,” Kuroo says.

He pulls out a notebook and scrawls a note onto the page. “I’ll give him a call today. How did you handle the situation?”

“I promised him an increased presence in the area and assured him that he can come to us with any incident like this in the future. He was worried that if it was just a one time thing, he didn’t want to bother us with it.”

“Good. Call a family meeting,” Nekomata orders. “We need to decide what we’re going to do about this. And figure out how to shift routes to increase our presence in Aoba Johsai, especially in Hanamaki, Matsukawa, and Kyoutani’s shifts along the border.”

“I want to run shifts in Aoba Johsai. I can continue to cover Hanamaki’s route,” Kuroo volunteers, his mind instantly jumping to Kenma. He can help the family by offering his presence and be closer to Kenma at the same time.

“Absolutely not,” is Nekomata’s immediate response.

Kuroo frowns, then turns to Oikawa. “Leave,” he says. Oikawa doesn’t argue. He stands, bows to Nekomata, then Kuroo, before leaving the office. When the door is closed behind him, Kuroo meets Nekomata’s eye. “I know you still worry about me after the massacre, which I also know you’d never admit to my face, but that was over ten years ago. You need to take the bubble wrap off, Uncle.”

“Do not patronize me,” Nekomata growls. “You take that entire incident way too lightly. You don’t remember it the way I do-”

“I don’t remember it?” Kuroo interrupts in shock. “I was thirteen years old. I remember it much better than you might think, Uncle. And you seem to forget that, yes, you lost your brother and your niece and her husband, but I lost my parents and my grandfather. I lost my _parents_. Both of them, very suddenly. You think I take that _lightly_? I’m forgetting what they _look_ like. Do you know how terrifying that is? To hardly remember what your parents even looked like? Let alone how they sounded or how it felt when they hugged me? But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m an adult now, and the underboss of a yakuza clan. I’m surrounded by violence and crime and death, and you can’t change that unless you kick me out of the family. You can’t keep me protected forever, not in this line of business. And keeping me away from shit like this is only going to hurt the clan in the future. Eventually I’m going to have to inherit the kumicho position, and how am I supposed to lead a yakuza family if you keep me away from these kinds of incidents.”

Nekomata stares at him for a long minute, then signs and rubs at his temple again. “Fine. Call the damn meeting. We’ll discuss it with the shateigashira, and if we decide that we need more people to cover shifts in the eastern region, then I’ll _consider_ sending you out there.”

Kuroo sighs in relief, pulling out his phone. But Nekomata isn’t done.

“You have a lot to learn about running a yakuza clan, boy. You are my only blood relative. You don’t send your sole heir out onto the front line. If you were to be killed, the family could easily dissolve. So next time you try to give me a hard time about keeping you out of the line of fire, I’m going to kick your ass.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do you guys want me to put translations for the japanese words in the notes of each chapter like i did for thicker than blood or are we good? just comment to let me know if you'd like them. there probably won't be many here that weren't in ttb but idk if everyone reading this has read ttb


	3. Chapter 3

Kuroo brings up a group text as he leaves Nekomata’s office. The meeting didn’t go as horribly as it could have, but it definitely could’ve gone better. Kuroo just hopes that the family meeting will go okay, and that having that many yakuza members in one room discussing the closest thing Nekoma has to a rival clan won’t get everyone too worked up.

_To: The Big Boys  
family meeting. right now. greeting room_

_From: Tooru  
Already there~~_

_From: Bo  
i’m bringing akaashi!_

_From: Ukai  
I’m not at the house. Be there in 10_

_From: Daichi  
understood._

Kuroo pockets his phone as he pulls open the door to the greeting room at the end of the hall. It’s really just a big room that they use whenever a lot of people have to gather. Most importantly, it’s where they greet members of other clans when they come to visit. But it’s also used for internal family meetings and for meals. It has a few large, low tables that are pushed up against the walls when not being used, and there are usually at least a handful of cushions strewn around the room. Oikawa seems to have grabbed a few more from the storage closet across the hall.

Kuroo plops down onto the cushion beside the one Oikawa is perched on. “Well it could’ve gone worse.”

“That was my thought,” Oikawa says. “But it’s not over yet. A decision hasn’t been made yet as to what we’re going to do about Shiratorizawa.”

Kuroo glances over at Oikawa. “I know how much you would absolutely _love_ to go to war with Shiratorizawa but we can’t. You know we can’t.”

Oikawa exhales dramatically, looking up at the ceiling. “I _know_ , Kuroo-sama. I just hope I get the chance to punch Ushiwaka-chan in his stoic, _stupid_ face.”

Kuroo snorts a laugh. He knows Oikawa’s history with Shiratorizawa, or more specifically with their wakagashira, and he knows he shouldn’t tease Oikawa about it. He knows that Oikawa still has a lot of invisible scars from those encounters, but he has a way of using humor to cope with those scars, and Kuroo can’t help but play along.

“It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that their wakagashira could be pushing his men over the borders just to provoke you. He knows you run our eastern group. If that’s all it is, if he’s just trying to get under your skin, you can’t let him. You need to be the better man.”

“Of _course_ I’m the better man, Kuroo-sama. Don’t even joke.”

Kuroo rolls his eyes as the door to the greeting room slams open and Bokuto strides in with Akaashi right behind him. Family meetings are normally just between the kumicho, wakagashira, and the three shateigashira, with the addition of Daichi since Karasuno is such a large group with such a large territory, and Daichi helps Ukai a lot with the management of the group. The other exception to the ‘higher ups only’ rule is Akaashi. Bokuto is one of the best yakuza members and leaders Nekoma has ever had. He’s strong, fearless, intimidating, and he always knows exactly how much force a given situation requires. He’s also a natural leader and Kuroo is pretty sure Fukurodani- and probably the whole household- would riot if Nekomata ever demoted him. His only hurdle is that he struggles with mood swings, and when his mood drops, Akaashi is the best at comforting him and bringing him back up. He’s not a miracle worker that has all the answers to Bokuto’s mental illness, but he’s much better than anyone else at helping Bokuto deal with it. Nekomata knows and respects this, so he allows Akaashi to accompany Bokuto to family meetings. Akaashi is also great at keeping a rational mind when things get heated.

“Hey hey hey,” Bokuto greets. He seems quite awake for someone who was snoring and drooling all over himself only half an hour ago. He drops down next to Kuroo, Akaashi taking a seat on his other side. “How’d the meeting go?”

“Oh you know, the usual. Hanamaki got yelled at, Kuroo kicked me out, and a pen may or may not have been sacrificed,” Oikawa answers.

“Doesn’t sound too bad!” Bokuto says. “I’ve been in worse meetings with the boss man.”

“Is that so,” Nekomata says as he enters the room, Daichi following on his heels.

Other, weaker men may have cowered at behind caught by the Kumicho like this, but not Bokuto. “Course, boss!” he grins. “You’re frightening. It’s inspiring, actually.”

“Good. Where’s Ukai?” he asks as he sits across from Kuroo. Daichi sits between him and Akaashi, leaving the seat on Nekomata’s other side for Ukai.

“I’m here,” Ukai says from the large sliding doors that lead out to the front deck, toeing out of his shoes before entering the house. He takes the last available cushion between Nekomata and Oikawa. “So what’s going on? Kuroo mentioned something happened last night on his shift. You were covering for Hanamaki?”

“Get the others caught up,” Nekomata says to Kuroo with a wave of his hand at the circle.

Kuroo quickly goes through what he’s already told Nekomata. Of course Oikawa already knows, and so do Bokuto and Akaashi, but he fills in Daichi and Ukai. Bokuto tries to act surprised by the information, but he’s not fooling anyone. Oikawa attempts to disguise his smirk as a yawn, and Akaashi rolls his eyes. Fortunately for Kuroo, Nekomata doesn’t seem to care.

“Why would Shiratorizawa suddenly be pushing at our borders?” Daichi asks once Kuroo finishes.

“Because Ushiwaka-chan is a greedy, bullheaded, idiot,” Oikawa immediately responds. Kuroo shoots out a foot to kick him in the thigh.

“Their young wakagashira doesn’t control that group,” Nekomata says. “He follows every command his kumicho gives him. Imagine that: a wakagashira that actually follows his kumicho’s orders.”

“Oh shut it, old man. Be grateful I follow any of your orders.”

“Any organized Shiratorizawa encroachment would’ve been ordered by the kumicho, not by his wakagashira. I agree that he doesn’t have that much initiative,” Akaashi says, expertly diverting them back to the topic at hand before Nekomata finds something to throw at Kuroo’s head.

“So the question becomes whether these events were organized or not,” Ukai says.

“You think it could be a few underlings going off on their own?” Kuroo questions with a raised eyebrow at Ukai. The thought that it’s not purposeful and organized hadn’t even crossed Kuroo’s mind. “If that’s the case, why would they risk a war just to stir up a little bit of trouble across the border?”

“Perhaps they weren’t thinking that far ahead,” Ukai says. “You can’t expect them all to be the sharpest tools in the shed. Could just be a few bad eggs, a few insubordinate underlings.”

“It’s definitely possible. But what do we do if it wasn’t? What if it was planned? What if they were trying to provoke us?” Daichi asks.

“We don’t have enough to prove that it was organized,” Kuroo says. “I think at this point, all we can do is heighten our presence near the border and keep an eye on Shiratorizawa activity. If we do any more we could provoke them into starting a war.”

Nekomata frowns, but doesn’t offer an argument. Kuroo has to stifle a sigh of relief.

“We shouldn’t risk a war if it’s unnecessary,” Akaashi agrees. “It might be best to gather more information before we act.”

Daichi looks at Oikawa sitting next to him. “You’ve been uncharacteristically quiet. I can’t imagine that you don’t have an opinion on the matter.”

“Keiji-kun has a very good point. War would be bad. But slapping some emotion onto Ushiwaka-chan’s dumb face would be great.”

Kuroo rolls his eyes. “Be serious. This is happening on your turf.”

“I’ve never been so serious in my life,” Oikawa responds, completely deadpan.

“Have we decided that all we’re going to do for now is increase patrols near the border?” Ukai questions to bring them back on track, looking between Oikawa, Kuroo, and Nekomata.

Nekomata frowns, clearly displeased, but eventually nods his head and this time Kuroo does sigh in relief. He can never tell with Nekomata how he’s going to treat a given situation. Sometimes he considers things rationally and listens to the council of his underbosses, but sometimes he just rages and shouts and charges head first into things without fully understanding the possible consequences. Kuroo is just glad that the incidences so far haven’t been enough to send him into that state of blind rage.

“In that case, I’ve already decided on how to rearrange the shifts in Aoba Johsai,” Oikawa says. He glances warily from Kuroo to Nekomata. “That is… if a decision has been made on whether or not Kuroo will be involved in these patrols.”

The atmosphere in the room instantly shifts as Kuroo pins Nekomata with an expectant stare and Nekomata stares right back. Everyone else in the room falls still- even Bokuto- as they wait to see what Nekomata will say to that.

“I want to be out there helping Seijoh,” Kuroo reiterates, his tone slow and deliberate.

Oikawa opens his mouth to speak, hesitates, then continues cautiously. “We could really use his help. Having our wakagashira around would ease our clients’ worries, and it would mean one less man that has to be pulled from his regular route.”

Nekomata’s frown deepens. His stare doesn’t leave Kuroo as he addresses Oikawa. “Tell me what you’ve planned for shifting routes and I’ll decide if he’s really needed.”

“First of all, I’m switching mine and Iwaizumi’s shifts with Matsukawa’s. Matsukawa’s shift covers about half of our border with Shiratorizawa, so it’s best if Iwaizumi and I take over that shift. Matsukawa should be able to handle both of ours by himself, but I’ll shift a handful of underlings from the surrounding routes to help him out. I’m also going to move most of the underlings from our inner routes to the border routes. I know it’s dangerous to have so many yakuza members patrolling the same area, but that area is densely populated so the numbers are necessary.” He pauses for a moment, looking between the other shateigashira. “As far as the shifts on either side of Matsukawa’s… I’d like to assign Hanamaki to help Kyoutani in his shift. Kyoutani’s shift covers most of the rest of the border, so it’d be nice to give him some help. Preferably by someone who knows the area, like Hanamaki. Which leaves Hanamaki’s shift open. I’d like to keep Kuroo there. He ran it last night and met with a lot of Hanamaki’s clients. And considering he’s the one Uehara-san reported to, he might take comfort in seeing him around.”

“You intend to have Kuroo patrol the route where both of the attacks took place alone?” Nekomata asks, his tone hard, clearly a warning.

“Of course not. I was actually hoping I could borrow a kyoudai from another territory to patrol with him. Or at least a higher ranking shatei. I could shift more of my men around, but I’m already spreading us pretty thin in the rest of Aoba Johsai’s territory.”

“I’ll do it!” Bokuto quickly volunteers, his hand shooting up into the air. “As Fukurodani’s shateigashira, it’s my job to protect Kuroo-sama. I will gladly give my life for him if necessary.”

Akaashi places a hand on his arm to lower it. “You can’t be pulled from Fukurodani.”

“You can lead the men,” Bokuto protests. “They’d follow you. You know they would.”

Akaashi shakes his head. “I’ll accompany Kuroo-sama.”

Bokuto frowns. “’Kaashi…”

“It’ll be fine,” Akaashi assures him with a pat to his arm.

“I could also help Kuroo on his shift,” Daichi says.

“No, I need you in Karasuno,” Ukai says. “We can send Sugawara.”

Now it’s Daichi’s turn to frown, but he nods, not willing to argue with his shateigashira. Then, everyone turns to Nekomata, waiting for his approval. His frown hadn’t lessened even slightly as the others discussed the plan. His eyes flicker between Kuroo, Oikawa, and Akaashi. After a long, tense, painfully silent moment, he finally sighs and leans back on his cushion.

“Very well. I’ll allow Kuroo to take over Hanamaki’s shift. _However_ ,” he adds quickly before Kuroo has the chance to feel relieved. He looks between Bokuto and Akaashi. “I want Bokuto to help out. You and Akaashi can switch off, but it’s well known that Bokuto is in charge of family protection. I want him seen with Kuroo. I’m trusting you two and Sugawara to keep him safe and out of trouble. A single hair on his head out of place, and I’m holding the two of you personally responsible. Do I make myself clear?”

“But Kumicho,” Oikawa says before Bokuto or Akaashi can respond, “his hair is _always_ out of place.”

The thick tension in the room snaps as Bokuto snorts a loud laugh. Oikawa can’t hold back his smirk, and even Daichi and Ukai start to laugh a little at the joke. Akaashi lifts a hand to his mouth to cover his own smile. Kuroo gasps, spinning on Oikawa.

“How could you treat me with such disrespect?” Kuroo accuses teasingly.

“It’s not disrespect, Kuroo-sama. I’m only stating the truth.”

“Well not all of us have half an hour every morning to perfectly style our hair.”

“Have you ever even seen a comb? You don’t even spend two seconds on your hair. It looks like a rat lives in it.”

Kuroo lunges for Oikawa, his hand reaching to ruffle his perfectly coiffed hair. Oikawa squeaks and manages to snatch Kuroo’s wrist out of the air, holding it back from his head.

“No, not my hair!” he whines as they fall back onto the tatami to the laughter of everyone else in the room. As he rights himself, Kuroo notices that even Nekomata has a small smirk on his face.

Nekomata stands from his cushion with an exasperated sigh and everyone else in the room scrambles to do the same. “Inform your groups of the situation. You,” he says, gesturing to Daichi, “inform Sugawara of his new route. Oikawa, hold a meeting with Aoba Johsai and make sure everyone in the group is aware of the new routes. Bokuto and Akaashi, you need to sit in on that meeting. Kuroo and Sugawara as well. I want everyone running their new shifts tonight.”

“Yes, sir,” everyone says in unison.

Nekomata leaves the greeting room first. Everyone else remains where they are, and after a few moments, once they’re sure that Nekomata has retreated into his office, they all plop back down with a few loud sighs. Oikawa sprawls out across the floor as he fishes his phone from his pocket and holds it above his face. Daichi also pulls out his phone, likely to text Suga to have him join them.

“Well that definitely could’ve gone worse,” Kuroo says. “I’m actually kind of surprised he listened to us and stayed level headed about the whole thing. Mostly….”

“Me too,” Bokuto nods. “But I’m happy. I don’t know how I feel about going to war….”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Daichi says, pocketing his phone.

Only a minute later, the door slides open and Suga steps inside. Kiyoko follows a step behind him. “How’d it go? I don’t see any holes in the walls.”

“Now that Koushi-kun is here, let’s move this party to the Seijoh room. I’ve already told all of Seijoh to gather in there,” Oikawa says, standing with a stretch. “I hate this room. It’s so cold and uncomfortable.”

“Kind of ironic, considering what we use it for,” Daichi mutters, also standing.

“Have you boys eaten?” Kiyoko asks. “I can have some food brought to the Seijoh room.”

“That would be wonderful, Kiyoko-ane,” Oikawa smiles.

Kiyoko nods and heads through a door on the side of the room that leads into the kitchen. Ukai and Daichi leave the house to go on their routes. Everyone else exit into the hall and follows Oikawa into the Seijoh room.

The room isn’t empty. About half of the futons have been folded up and stored, but the rest are spaced throughout the room. Two are still occupied, quiet snores echoing through the room. A handful of guys are sitting on the others, seemingly waiting.

Oikawa kicks the feet of the two still sleeping, and Kyoutani quite literally jumps out of his futon. Kindaichi is slower to wake up, rolling up into a sitting position with a jaw cracking yawn.

“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty,” Oikawa practically sings. “It’s meeting time.”

Hanamaki, Yahaba, and Kai stand to fold up their futons. Kyoutani relaxes from his defensive posture and bunches up his own futon. Everyone settles on the floor, some sitting at attention and others lounging.

“So what’s this all about, boss?” Kai asks.

Now that his surprise is wearing off, Kyoutani looks like he’s about to fall back asleep. He yawns widely and turns a glare on Oikawa. “I was out until six this morning. If this ain’t important, I’m going to punch you.”

Yahaba slaps him upside the head. “I’m sure it’s important. Otherwise Wakagashira and Bokuto-san wouldn’t be here.”

Kyoutani’s eyes flicker to Kuroo before he closes them and lies back on the floor. The door opens and Iwaizumi enters. Kyoutani shoots upright, immediately at attention.

“It’s _very_ important, Kyouken-chan,” Oikawa says as Iwaizumi takes a seat next to him. His hand instinctively finds Iwaizumi’s between them. “But we’ll wait for everyone to join us before we get started.”

Kyoutani tsks, but doesn’t put up any protest. Over the next few minutes, all the Seijoh members that had been out return and take up a seat with the others. As soon as the entire group is gathered, Oikawa brings them up to speed on what’s happening, although a few had already known. Hanamaki inputs a little information about the men that attacked him, and Kuroo shares what Uehara told him. A large map of the Aoba Johsai territory is brought out and Oikawa goes over the route changes. He instructs Kai, Watari, and Kunimi in the inner routes to send some of their underlings to the border routes. Kyoutani has a huge grin on his face as Oikawa explains their new duties, and Kuroo worries a little about him starting something with any Shiratorizawa boys unlucky enough to find themselves on his route.

“Kumicho wants us to start these new shifts tonight,” Oikawa continues to explain. “So Makki, I need you to take Kuroo-sama, Koutarou-kun, Keiji-kun, and Koushi-kun to meet with all your underlings, and whatever underlings Kai sends, and get introductions made. I know Kuroo-sama ran your shift last night, but it’d still be a good idea for you to walk the four of them through your shift. Once you finish that, head up to Kyouken-chan’s route and let him introduce you to his underlings and his shift. Mattsun, I need you to do the same for Iwa-chan and I, and we’ll walk you through ours.”

“What is the protocol if we run into any Shiratorizawa members?” Akaashi asks.

“Get them off our territory, be as threatening as you want about it, but do not engage unless they engage first,” Kuroo answers. “We need to avoid provoking them, but I also don’t want any of our men getting hurt, so defend yourselves as necessary.” Kyoutani frowns, opening his mouth to retort, but Kuroo shoots him a hard look. “Wakagashira’s orders.”

Kyoutani shuts his mouth but doesn’t look happy about it. Yahaba elbows him in the side and he just huffs. Kuroo watches him as Oikawa explains a few more details. Kyoutani has always been… vicious, is one way to put it. It makes him a good yakuza, but he’s been known to get himself into as much trouble as he solves. He’s a double edged sword. Yes, he’ll be useful to have on the border, but Kuroo is nervous about him starting up trouble with Shiratorizawa.

A few more questions are asked, the routes gone over a few more times, and the higher ranks of Aoba Johsai slowly leave the room to round up their underlings and send them where they need to go. Hanamaki stands to leave, but Kuroo shoots him a look and shakes his head slightly. Hanamaki nods and sits back down. Once Kyoutani leaves, Kuroo speaks.

“You’re going to have to keep an eye on Kyoutani,” Kuroo tells Hanamaki. “Don’t let him run off and cause us more trouble than we can handle.”

“Don’t keep him on too tight a leash though,” Oikawa says. “It’ll get him too wound up and he could snap.”

“Okay so don’t let him run loose but don’t keep him on a leash. Easy. Got it,” Hanamaki says, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

“Yeah I know, I know,” Oikawa sighs.

“I’ll talk to him,” Iwaizumi says.

“Why does he always listen to you and never me,” Oikawa whines. “I’m the shateigashira. You’re just my kyoudai.”

Iwaizumi rolls his eyes, standing. His hand still gripping Oikawa’s pulls him to his feet as well. “Let’s go, Shittykawa. I know you’re familiar with every route in Aoba Johsai but I’m not.”

“We should go too,” Akaashi says. “We have a lot of ground to cover and Hanamaki-san needs to meet with Kyoutani-san after he shows us around.”

“You three go,” Bokuto says. “I have work I need to get done today. I’ll have Kuroo show me the route tomorrow.”

Kuroo nods. “That’s fine. Let’s get going.”

…

Hanamaki leads Kuroo, Akaashi, and Suga through his entire beat. He knocks on a few doors to a few clients to introduce them, but there’s not enough time for him to take them to all their clients. Kuroo pays close attention, but he also finds himself a little bored. It’s a lot of walking, a lot of Hanamaki just pointing out clients and leading them through crowded main streets and abandoned side streets alike. Dressed in their suits, they don’t draw much attention amongst the business men and uniformed students, but as they get closer to this area’s underling row house, they try to keep an even lower profile.

In the common house, Hanamaki introduces the three of them to a dozen or so underlings that live and patrol this area. They seem completely in awe to meet the wakagashira, and Kuroo will never get used to that. Most of the brothers are older than Kuroo, so when a few of them prostrate themselves to show their respect, it sits a little awkwardly with him. He tries to be as friendly and brotherly as possible with them in an attempt to put himself more on their level, gain their trust and their loyalty.

They don’t stay in the row house too long. They head back out onto the streets, parting ways with Hanamaki as he calls Kyoutani to come pick him up. The three of them meander down the streets on their way back to their car, talking lightly to each other.

“We don’t all need to patrol together,” Suga eventually says when they make their way onto a quiet side street. “Increased patrols only work if more ground is covered, not if the same ground is covered by more people. One of us can stay with Kuroo, and the other can patrol a different area. When Bokuto-kun is here, the two of us can patrol together and we can leave Kuroo-sama with him.”

Akaashi nods his agreement. “We’ll be effective while also keeping Kumicho’s orders to protect Kuroo-sama.”

“I’m right here, you know,” Kuroo says as they turn onto a slightly busier street. A few older students with backpacks pass them. Kuroo remembers Hanamaki pointing out a college down the street from here. “I can hear you.”

“Yes, we know that, Kuroo-sama,” Suga smiles with a pat to his upper arm that Kuroo can only interpret as condescending.

“I don’t need one of you to stay with me. I’m fully capable of-”

He cuts himself off when a head of blond hair with black roots catches his attention. Kuroo’s heart jumps into his throat. He’s only seen that dyed blond hair once before but it’s immediately recognizable. It’s Kenma, and he has just turned onto their street, heading right towards them. If his attention wasn’t glued to his phone in his hands, he definitely would see Kuroo only a few dozen meters ahead of him. Without taking even a second to think, he grabs Akaashi’s arm and the back of Suga’s shirt and pulls them into the side street they had just exited.

“What-” Suga starts to question, reaching for the gun hidden in an underarm holster beneath his suit jacket. Kuroo slaps a hand over his mouth with a firm shake of his head. He and Akaashi both let go of their firearms with a confused glance at each other.

The two of them thankfully stay quiet and Kuroo holds his breath as he waits and watches. His heart is still racing, a heavy beat he can feel in his ears. He’s not sure why seeing Kenma again is causing him to react in such a way. He’s also not sure why his immediate response was to duck for cover and avoid being seen. It’s not as if he and his brothers are dressed in their yukata with the clan seal emblazoned across the back. It’s not as if either of the three of them are immediately recognizable as yakuza. Even in their suits, they probably easily pass as businessmen out on their lunch break. There is no logical explanation for why Kuroo wants to avoid being seen by Kenma. Yet here he is, back pressed to a dirty wall, his heart hammering against his ribcage, and- why the hell is he holding his breath?

After a few long, tense moments, Kenma passes the opening of the side street. His attention never leaves his phone as he walks by, and then he’s gone. Kuroo releases the breath he had been holding with a relieved sigh. Suga and Akaashi look at each other, then down the street in the direction Kenma had gone in.

“What was that all about?” Suga asks, sounding both curious and concerned.

“Nothing,” Kuroo quickly says. “Not a threat. Just…. Nothing.”

Suga raises an eyebrow at him, clearly confused. Akaashi too looks curious, which is rare for him. He usually isn’t fazed by much. Then slowly, an amused smirk starts to spread across Suga’s face and he takes another look down the street. Kenma is long gone by now but Kuroo can’t help but tense.

“Did you see someone you know?” Suga asks.

“I didn’t think he knew anyone outside the family,” Akaashi states.

“Ouch. I’m not a recluse.”

“Then name one person you know that is in no way tied to Nekoma,” Suga immediately returns, crossing his arms across his chest. His smug smirk only grows. He knows he has Kuroo.

“Well clearly he does know someone outside the family,” Akaashi points out, saving Kuroo from his standoff with Suga. “Why else would he not want to be seen with us?”

“Who is it, Kuroo-sama?” Suga looks back again at the people walking past them. “A student? It looks like classes just let out.”

“No one,” Kuroo retorts, perhaps a little too quickly. He really just wants to leave. Preferably in the opposite direction Kenma went in.

“Oh my god, Akaashi-kun, he’s blushing,” Suga gasps. “Now you _have_ to tell us.”

“I am _not_ blushing.” Suga raises an eyebrow at him and Kuroo exhales sharply, turning away. He knows Suga isn’t going to drop this. It’s part of what makes him such a good yakuza member. Once he has a hold of something, he doesn’t let it go. His determination is unmatched. And sometimes, it’s to Kuroo’s detriment. “If you really want to know, ask Oikawa. He’ll gladly tell you all about it.”

“Hmm…. Curiouser and curiouser,” Suga smirks.

Thankfully neither of them decide to press, content to question Oikawa later, as they leave the side street and continue toward where they had left the car. Kuroo can’t help but glance back over his shoulder, despite knowing Kenma to be long gone. Kuroo may not know why he so strongly felt the need to hide, to not be seen by Kenma, but he definitely knows it has nothing to do with the fact that he’s been religiously checking his phone all day. He knows it can’t be because Kenma hasn’t messaged him yet. There’s no way that he’s feeling disappointed that Kenma hasn’t messaged him, so that couldn’t possibly be a reason why he doesn’t want to run into him. It’s absolutely not because he thinks that perhaps Kenma was just humoring Kuroo when he said that he’d message him, that maybe Kenma has already forgotten about him, that he has no desire to see Kuroo again, that he could’ve been lying when he said that maybe they’d see each other again. No, not at all. Because they only met for the first time less than twenty-four hours ago, so it’d be ridiculous for Kuroo to be disappointed that he hasn’t messaged him. That would be way too impatient and unrealistic of Kuroo, and Kuroo isn’t impatient or unrealistic. He would definitely wait much longer before panicking that Kenma never wants to see or talk to Kuroo ever again.

Kuroo shakes his head hard to clear his rapidly spiraling thoughts. He’s a yakuza boss, damn it, and yakuza bosses don’t get themselves all worked up because a cute stranger hasn’t called him yet.

“You seem very on edge, Kuroo-sama,” Akaashi points out, and Kuroo curses his keen observation skills. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Fine, I’m fine,” Kuroo says a little hastily. He really needs to stop thinking about Kenma. Worrying about whether or not he’ll hear from him again isn’t accomplishing anything other than distracting him. And despite it being the middle of the afternoon, Kuroo can’t be distracted while out on these streets with Shiratorizawa so close.

Akaashi and Suga share another look, and Kuroo can’t help but think that they’re somehow communicating with each other. Kuroo huffs.

“Seriously guys, I’m fine. I just… have a lot on my mind, what with this whole Shiratorizawa thing. And Hanamaki showed us a lot of territory and introduced us to a lot of people. I have a lot to think about.” It’s a poor excuse, one that the two of them probably see right through. “You guys want to stop by Uehara’s bar? We can get a drink and I’ll introduce you to him.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Akaashi agrees, clearly seeing Kuroo’s offered distraction for what it is and taking it anyway.

“Lead the way, Kuroo-sama.”

They drop the topic for now, but Kuroo can’t help but feel that this isn’t the last he’ll hear of it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bam surprise chapter, featuring some kuroo/akaashi bro bonding and a sneaky oiks pov

“Who is going with you tonight?”

Kuroo turns to the voice coming from his open door. Nekomata is standing there, leaning against the door jamb with his arms crossed over his chest. It’s rare for Nekomata to come seek Kuroo out. Usually he gets a call or a text from the kumicho demanding he meet him in his office. Having Nekomata come to his room puts Kuroo a little on edge. He thinks he knows what this is going to be about.

“Akaashi is with me tonight. Sugawara will be out too, but we figured it’d be better to cover more ground so he’ll be patrolling separately,” Kuroo tells him, tucking his gun into his belt. “Bokuto said he’d relieve Akaashi later tonight if he has the time.”

Nekomata nods. “That’s a good idea,” he says, his voice softer, almost as if he’s talking to himself. “Just make sure you’re never alone out there.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it-”

“Kuroo.”

Nekomata isn’t looking at him. His arms are crossed tighter over his chest and he’s staring at the floor. After a beat of silence, he looks up and meets Kuroo’s eyes. Kuroo sighs.

“I know,” he murmurs. “And so do Bokuto and Akaashi. We’ll be careful.”

Nekomata exhales sharply, his arms falling to his sides, and Kuroo knows he’s back to his normal self. “You know I trust Bokuto with both our lives, but I also know how you two are when you’re together. No funny business, no getting into trouble, you hear me?”

“You also know how Bokuto and I are on assignment. Bo is all business, especially when it comes to family protection. He wouldn’t let anything happen to me.”

Nekomata pushes off the door jamb and turns into the hall. “Just don’t fuck anything up.” He pauses, looking back down the hall. He points a finger. “You either.”

Akaashi appears in the doorway, bowing after Nekomata as he leaves. “Yes, sir.” He turns to Kuroo. “Are you ready to go?”

Kuroo nods, grabbing a knife from his desk and tucking it into his belt on the opposite side from his gun. Pulling on his bright red jacket, he follows Akaashi out of the house. Akaashi is quiet as they climb in the car and pull out of the compound, but it’s a comfortable silence. Akaashi has always been rather quiet, which is a sharp contrast with Kuroo’s own personality, but they get along together quiet well. After Bokuto brought Akaashi into the family, Kuroo was the first person Akaashi grew close to. It took him months to gain Akaashi’s trust, but once he had it, it was unbreakable.

“Oikawa-san and Iwaizumi-san are already patrolling,” Akaashi tells him after a few minutes of driving through the city in silence. “Oikawa-san mentioned getting ramen at some point. Perhaps when Bokuto comes by.”

Kuroo nods, casting a sideways glance at Akaashi. “So, you talked to Oikawa,” Kuroo starts slowly.

“I did,” Akaashi answers simply.

They’re quiet for a long second. Kuroo is waiting for Akaashi to elaborate but he knows he won’t. He just needs to figure out how to prod Akaashi for answers without giving away too much himself.

“Did you ask about…?”

“No.”

Kuroo exhales in relief. Akaashi isn’t one to pry. Kuroo should’ve known he wouldn’t-

“But Sugawara-san did,” Akaashi continues. Kuroo tenses. “You saved a college student a couple nights ago?”

Kuroo slouches back in his seat, his head rolling to look out the window. “Maybe.”

Akaashi doesn’t say anything more, and Kuroo knows he won’t. Akaashi won’t shy away from gossip, but he also doesn’t pry for it like Oikawa and Sugawara do. He’s one to let Kuroo know he knows, then let him squirm about it. If Kuroo wants to know exactly how much he knows, he’ll have to bring it up himself.

When Kuroo continues to speak though, it’s not forced. He actually doesn’t mind telling Akaashi. He doesn’t have any secrets with Akaashi. He’s just a very easy person to talk to, and just like with Oikawa and Bokuto, Kuroo doesn’t _want_ to keep secrets from him.

“He was really cute,” Kuroo finds himself saying, keeping his gaze trained out the window. He watches the city roll by them. It’s a clear night, the stars sprinkled across the sky. “I don’t know what it is about him that keeps him in my head, but… I just can’t stop thinking about him. And my chest gets all tight when I do. I don’t know what this means….”

Akaashi glances over at Kuroo. “The first time I ever laid eyes on Bokuto, I felt the same way,” Akaashi says after a long moment of thought. “He was so radiant and energetic and happy. I knew immediately that he was yakuza, but despite this, he was still so… sweet, kind. Caring. I hadn’t felt anything in such a long time, but it only took him one smile to make me feel again. And it was that feeling. The one you just described. My chest would get tight. My heart would race. I found that he was all I could think about.”

“Waitwaitwait,” Kuroo says hastily. “You’ve told me this story before, but you always describe it as… as ‘love at first sight’. That can’t be what this is. I’ve only met him once.”

Akaashi raises an eyebrow. “That’s exactly what ‘love at first sight’ means.”

“Akaashi don’t say that to me,” Kuroo whines. “I can’t be… you know… _in love_.”

“Is it really being in love that you’re worried about?” Akaashi asks. “Or is it being in love with someone outside the family?”

Kuroo’s heart is racing, but he knows it’s not because he’s been talking about Kenma. He knows very well that it’s because Akaashi hit the nail on the head. Kuroo knows that any connections he makes outside the family would be in danger, due simply to the nature of Kuroo’s life. Especially now with trouble brewing on the border.

“Being in this line of business…” Kuroo finally murmurs, his eyes not leaving the city out his window. “I can’t afford to get close with anyone outside the family. The… _love_ part doesn’t even matter. Even if it was just a friendship….” He can feel something deep inside himself sink as he speaks, as if speaking the words out loud confirms the truth of them. “You’re right. I would only get him hurt if I pursued him. It’d be best for him if I just forget about him.”

The car pulls to a stop and Akaashi shuts it off, turning in his seat to face Kuroo. A hand settles on Kuroo’s arm and Kuroo finally meets Akaashi’s eyes. “That’s not what I’m saying, Kuroo-sama. You’re allowed connections outside the family, and it doesn’t have to put Kenma-san in danger.”

“Oikawa told you his name?”

“No,” Akaashi replies. “Sugawara-san did.”

They’re silent for a minute, then they both leave the car. It’s dark out, but early enough that the streets are relatively busy. Businessmen hustle from corporate buildings to train stations, students from schools to bus stops. Bars and malls are filling, offices are emptying. Kuroo starts to walk away from the car but Akaashi reaches out and grabs Kuroo’s wrist.

“Kuroo-sama.”

Kuroo looks back at him over his shoulder. Akaashi’s eyes are soft, but intense. It’s a look Kuroo feels safe in, a look that shows just how much Akaashi cares for Kuroo. Cares for him beyond his duty as kyoudai of Fukurodani, sworn to protect him.

“You shouldn’t have to run away from these feelings,” Akaashi tells him. Kuroo looks away, starts to shake his head, to dismiss what Akaashi is saying, but Akaashi squeezes his wrist and Kuroo closes his mouth without having said a word. “I’m not going to press you into admitting your feelings, or try to convince you to pursue them. That’s all on you to decide. But if you do decide it’s something you want to chase, I’ll have your back. If you’re worried about Kenma-san’s safety, he’ll be well protected.”

Kuroo can feel himself relaxing little by little with every word. It’s not that simple, the both of them know that. But he also knows that Akaashi is sincere, and that if he did decide to take that route, Akaashi and Bokuto and everyone else in the family would do everything they could to uphold that promise.

Kuroo smiles and Akaashi releases his wrist. “Thank you, Akaashi,” he murmurs.

Akaashi smiles back at him, a soft thing that just barely pulls at one corner of his lips. Kuroo offers him his arm and Akaashi takes it, looping his own through it. They walk down the street arm in arm, their conversation turning light and casual, and Kuroo’s mood slowly begins to match it. He feels a little better after talking to Akaashi. A little lighter. He still needs to figure out what he’s going to do about his feelings for Kenma, but he doesn’t need to decide right now. He might not even need to decide at all if Kenma never messages him.

“Just a warning, Kuroo-sama…” Akaashi suddenly says, glancing up at Kuroo. Kuroo braces himself, but then nearly chokes when he continues. “Sugawara-san isn’t going to be as nice about this as I was.”

…

“Hey, hey, hey!”

Kuroo turns in his seat with a smirk. “Oya oya?”

Bokuto bounds into the little ramen restaurant the four of them are holed up in. Akaashi moves down a seat, sliding his bowl with him so that Bokuto can take a seat between him and Kuroo. Bokuto places a quick order with the kid behind the bar.

“You’re late, Kou-kun,” Oikawa sings, leaning around Kuroo.

“I know, sorry, sorry,” Bokuto murmurs. “You know how it is. Being a shateigashira. Sometimes there’s absolutely nothing to do, and then suddenly there are a million things to do.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Oikawa signs, leaning a cheek on his palm. “Especially when entitled little shits decide they want things that don’t belong to them.”

“Yeah but we’re not going to let him get what he wants!” Bokuto declares.

“I’ll drink to that,” Iwaizumi mutters, lifting his beer to his lips.

Everyone else takes a long sip from their beers. The young cook places Bokuto’s ramen in front of him and he digs in. “Is Suga coming?” he asks between bites.

“No, he said he had to take care of a few things in his route,” Kuroo answers. He looks over at Oikawa. “Have you guys seen anything yet?”

“It’s only been a couple of nights since the last attack, Kuroo-sama, you need to be patient,” Oikawa hums, but then grows a little more serious. “I was thinking though, this recent spike in criminal activity… I was going through the reports from my guys last night to try and find a link to Shiratorizawa-”

“He stayed up all night, wouldn’t pass any of the reports off to me or anyone else,” Iwaizumi points out, his tone hard as he levels Oikawa with a disapproving glare.

“I needed to look at them myself, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa insists.

“You need to learn to trust your men,” Iwaizumi argues.

“I do trust them! I just-”

“I know, I know, you feel like it’s your responsibility,” Iwaizumi cuts him off with a grumble. He takes another long swig of his beer.

“ _Anyway_ ,” Oikawa says. “I was looking over the reports I’ve received to look for any evidence of Shiratorizawa involvement, but I haven’t found anything yet. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re not involved though.”

Kuroo frowns. “You think Shiratorizawa has been instigating petty crime in our territory?”

“I’m saying it’s a possibility,” Oikawa says.

“Do you think they’re unmarked Shiratorizawa members? Or are they simply petty criminals sent here by Shiratorizawa?” Akaashi asks.

“I don’t know. I don’t have enough information,” Oikawa says. “I guess what I’m getting at by bringing this up is that I want you guys to keep an eye out not just for Shiratorizawa activity, but also for regular criminal activity. Interrupt whatever you find and try to figure out if Shiratorizawa is involved in any way. I’m going to have the rest of Aoba Johsai do the same.”

“So you want us to play cop?” Kuroo teases.

“Well we already do a lot of the police’s job for they anyway,” Oikawa huffs with a dismissive wave of his hand. “But the police aren’t going to be looking for yakuza connections in petty incidences. And if they do find any yakuza involvement, they’re going to think it’s us.”

“Alright, we’ll role play for you.”

“Kuroo-sama, don’t make it gross!” Oikawa whines.

Iwaizumi snorts into his beer and Bokuto laughs, lifting a hand for Kuroo to high five. Kuroo cackles, returning the high five. His mind is racing though, thinking over the implications of Shiratorizawa’s involvement in the crime rate in their territory.

“Alright, so let’s say that Shiratorizawa _is_ involved in the crime rate increase,” Kuroo says. “And let’s also say that they’re hiring unassociated criminals to commit these crimes on our turf. Why?”

“Distraction,” Bokuto suggests. “If our attention is turned inward, we could miss their encroachment on our borders.”

“That’s what I came up with, but…” Oikawa starts. He frowns down at the empty bowl in front of him. He rolls his chopsticks back and forth across the rim. “What if it’s meant as more than a distraction?”

“What do you mean?” Akaashi presses.

“What if… what if it’s meant to lead up to something?” Oikawa says.

“You mean like… incapacitating us somehow?” Akaashi asks.

“If we get caught dealing with all this criminal activity, it could get us into trouble with the police,” Bokuto says, trying to follow Oikawa’s logic.

Kuroo frowns. “If their goal is to control our position, to control where we’re going to be and when, they could also be trying to set us up. Either to get arrested by the police or make us vulnerable to an attack by Shiratorizawa themselves.”

“Hold up, hold up,” Iwaizumi interrupts, speaking for the first time since they’ve started speculating. “We don’t have any proof yet that Shiratorizawa is even involved in this crime spike to begin with. Aren’t we jumping to conclusions here? Involving the police? Ambushes?”

“You don’t suspect them capable of plotting something like that?” Oikawa questions.

“No, there’s nothing I would hold them above doing,” Iwaizumi argues. “That’s not what I’m trying to say. What I mean is, if we get ourselves all worked up thinking about police raids and ambushes, we could miss the simpler things right under our noses. Or we could end up distracting ourselves and make Shiratorizawa’s job even easier. We need to be focused on what we know now, and what we can do now.”

“I agree with Iwaizumi-san,” Akaashi says. “We shouldn’t get too ahead of ourselves. It won’t do us any good to speculate on the ‘what-if’s.”

Oikawa exhales sharply, leaning back on his stool. “Fiiine,” he sighs. “Iwa-chan and Keiji-kun are so smart.”

“For now we’ll focus on stopping what crime we can and trying to get as much information as we can find,” Kuroo says. He knows what Iwaizumi and Akaashi said makes sense, but he can’t stop his mind from fixating on their speculations. Kuroo would never admit it out loud, but he’s terrified. If any of these speculations turn out to be true, his family is in more danger than Kuroo realized. If Shiratorizawa is leading up to something like that, war is inevitable. It’s no longer just an avoidable possibility.

But there is something else, another factor that keeps nagging at the back of Kuroo’s mind. He keeps his mouth shut on it though, not willing to bring it up in front of Oikawa or Iwaizumi. He can’t have them trying to take matters into their own hands. So he doesn’t say anything, not until after they’ve all left the ramen shop, not until after Oikawa and Iwaizumi left hand in hand back towards their route.

“I’m going to head home,” Akaashi says when they reach the car Bokuto brought. “Is there anything you need me to take care of?”

“Just make sure Yamamoto remembered his collections,” Bokuto says, handing over the keys to the car and leaning in to press a kiss to the corner of Akaashi’s lips.

“Actually… there’s something I want to run by you two,” Kuroo says. “I didn’t want to say anything to Oikawa or Iwaizumi but, do you think they could be a part of Ushijima’s motive?”

Bokuto frowns, crossing his thick arms over his chest. “You think he might be trying to get to Oikawa?”

“I think it could be possible,” Kuroo says.

Akaashi looks between them. “I know there is history between those two, but I don’t know the details,” he says slowly. “Could Ushijima-san really just want Oikawa-san?”

“Before Oikawa and Iwaizumi came to us, they lived on the street in this area,” Kuroo says. “I wasn’t there, so I don’t know for sure what happened, but according to them Ushijima tried multiple times to recruit Oikawa into Shiratorizawa. He’d tell Oikawa that he had potential, but without the right family he would never realize that potential. Iwaizumi tells it like Ushijima implied Iwaizumi was holding him back and that Ushijima would be better for him. Oikawa says he never joined Shiratorizawa because Iwaizumi wouldn’t have been welcomed with him, but also because there was something off about Ushijima. Oikawa couldn’t say what, but he knew he couldn’t trust him. I guess there were a lot of incidences but the last one was when Ushijima tried to have Iwaizumi killed. After that Oikawa knew he wouldn’t be able to deal with Ushijima on his own and came to us for help.”

“Why is Ushijima-san so obsessed with Oikawa-san?” Akaashi asks. His eyes are wide as he looks between Kuroo and Bokuto. His hand reaches for Bokuto and Bokuto immediately drops his arms to take Akaashi’s hand.

“I don’t know. If there’s a reason, something that happened the first time they met, Oikawa never told me. It might not even be anything that happened between them though. Ushijima could’ve just witnessed Oikawa doing something by chance. Stealing food or picking a pocket. I have no idea,” Kuroo says. “But whatever it was or wasn’t, we know it’s strong enough that he’s willing to kill for him. So he may also be willing to start a war with us if he thinks it’ll get Oikawa to join his clan.”

Bokuto’s brow furrows. “We can’t let him have Oikawa.”

“That goes without saying, Bo,” Kuroo murmurs. “Even if his hand was being forced when he joined us, it doesn’t make him any less of a brother. He’s happy here, in our family. And we protect our own. Ushijima isn’t going to take Oikawa from us.”

“Damn right he’s not!” Bokuto nearly shouts. Akaashi reaches up to rub at Bokuto’s arm.

“Should we not talk to Oikawa-san about this?” Akaashi asks.

Kuroo frowns. He wants to say no, but it’s not that simple. “I don’t want to get him worked up thinking he’s the actual target of all this. But if we leave him in the dark it could leave him vulnerable.”

“I think you need to give Oikawa-san more credit,” Akaashi says. “He’s not stupid. Even if he acts like it sometimes.”

Kuroo smirks. “Only sometimes? It’s not like you to soften your blows, Akaashi. You worried about him?”

“If you tell him that, remember that I know where you sleep.”

“There’s the Akaashi I know and love,” Kuroo laughs. “You’re right though. I’ll talk to Oikawa about this tomorrow. Let’s just hope it’s not the final nail in his sanity coffin.”

…

Oikawa’s phone vibrates on his desk, and he barely glances up from the report he’s attempting to read. He reminds himself to have a talk with Kindaichi about his shitty handwriting as he reaches for his cell.

“Oh so you’ll be pulled away from those damn files for a text but not for this?”

Oikawa looks over at Iwaizumi sprawled across their futon, completely naked, his head pillowed on a thick arm and the other hand resting on his toned, vibrantly colorful stomach. Oikawa doesn’t even try to hide the way his eyes scan slowly up Iwaizumi’s body.

“Well when you asked me to come to bed you were still wearing all your clothes,” Oikawa hums. He tears his eyes away from Iwaizumi’s body, spinning to face completely away from him. “I will not succumb to temptations of the flesh, Iwa-chan!”

Oikawa checks his phone to see a text from Kuroo.

_From: Boss Baby  
you home? need to tell you something_

_To: Boss Baby  
Are you finally ready to confess your undying love for me, wakai-sama? _(ﾉ´ з `)ノ

_From: Boss Baby  
shut up you home or not?_

_To: Boss Baby  
I’m in my room. Join us and we’ll make it a threesome _♡⌒(≧▽° )

_From: Boss Baby  
dont be gross. be there in 10_

Oikawa tosses his phone onto his desk and turns back to Iwaizumi who is still wonderfully naked on his futon. “Kuroo-sama will be here in ten minutes. Think you can take care of me before he gets here, loverboy?”

Iwaizumi looks up at him, gives him a one-over, then turns his attention back to his phone. “Nope.”

“Iwa-chan-”

“I’m going to need a lot more than ten minutes with you.”

“Oooh, Iwa-chan~,” Oikawa sings with a smirk. He crawls over to the futon and over top of Iwaizumi. He trails kisses down his neck, across his collarbones and pecs, over his abs, continuing southward. He traces the beautiful tattoos with his lips, pausing for a moment on the kanji of his own name over Iwaizumi’s heart. “Well ten minutes is plenty of time for me to take care of you.”

By the time Kuroo knocks on their door, Oikawa has Iwaizumi sated and a report in his hands. Oikawa flips the blanket over Iwaizumi’s hips before calling for Kuroo to enter. Kuroo slides open the door, then groans, taking a step back with a hand lifted to shield his eyes.

“Really?” he asks in exasperation.

“Don’t be a baby, we’re decent.” He glances back at Iwaizumi wrapped around him from behind, still completely naked beneath the thin blanket. “Mostly.”

Kuroo rolls his eyes but enters the room nonetheless. He sits at Oikawa’s desk, looking at the stack of papers covering the surface. Oikawa sits up, Iwaizumi releasing his hold on his waist. He gestures for Kuroo to hand him some of the reports.

“So what is it you wanted to tell me, Kuroo-sama?” Oikawa asks, flipping through the papers. He tries to appear disinterested, but he has a feeling that whatever it is Kuroo has to say is important. He just doesn’t want Kuroo to see that he’s worried. He doesn’t want anyone to see that he’s worried. About anything.

“Don’t freak out on me, but I was talking with Bokuto and Akaashi, and we think Ushijima could be coming after you specifically,” Kuroo blurts out quickly, hardly a pause between words.

Iwaizumi shoots upright, and Oikawa can feel the fury rolling off of him. It nearly matches Oikawa’s own. Oikawa disguises the trembling in his hands by picking up another report and attempting to smooth out the wrinkled paper.

Kuroo raises a hand to shield his eyes again. “I can see your-”

“He wouldn’t fucking dare,” Iwaizumi growls.

Oikawa forces an air of nonchalance as he reaches down to pull the blanket back up around Iwaizumi’s waist. The two small, perfectly round scars visible on Iwaizumi’s abdomen- even from beneath the vibrant ink of his tattoos- are just about all Oikawa can see and he fights to keep firm control of his emotions. He’s perfected his mask. He can’t let it slip now, even if the only two people that would see it are the ones he trusts the most.

“Iwa-chan is right,” Oikawa says. “He wouldn’t dare. He hasn’t dared since I joined Nekoma.” His tone is thick with forced confidence as he attempts to hide how much even the thought truly scares him.

“You don’t think there’s even a little bit of a chance that this is him daring?” Kuroo presses. “No, he can’t get to you by himself anymore. But if he has the force of Shiratorizawa behind him…. I’m just saying, it’d probably be a good idea for you two to be on your guard. I wouldn’t have even brought it up if I didn’t think that there was a chance it could be true, and if it is, I don’t want either of you to be caught unprepared.”

Oikawa forces a smile. It’s far from genuine, and he knows that both Iwaizumi and Kuroo learned to see through it long ago. But sometimes, the masks and fake smiles and apparent naivety are more for his own sanity than they are for putting on appearances. Sometimes his attempts at tricking himself are the only thing that keeps him together.

“See, I knew you loved me, Kuroo-sama,” Oikawa hums, leaning forward to pat his young boss on the cheek.

Kuroo smacks his hand away. “I just don’t want to have to clean up the mess if you two get yourselves shot. I’m leaving now. You can get back to your… fornication.”

“Sure you don’t want to join us?” Oikawa asks, draping himself across Iwaizumi and licking up the side of his neck. Iwaizumi slaps a hand over Oikawa’s mouth but doesn’t attempt to push him away.

Kuroo ignores him, continuing out the door and slamming it shut behind him. Once he’s gone, Oikawa exhales, falling back onto the futon. He covers his eyes with an arm. His mind is swimming, images of a life before Nekoma filling his vision. He had been hoping that he wouldn’t have to deal with Ushijima ever again after joining Nekoma. At least, not in the capacity he had to before joining. He had hoped that all of the shit Ushijima put him through was behind him. But ever since finding out Shiratorizawa was behind Hanamaki’s attack, he’s been dreading this moment. The moment when everything comes back to Ushijima’s obsession with him.

He can’t go through that again. He can’t deal with being hunted like prey, with being treated like an object to acquire. He can’t deal with Iwaizumi putting his life on the line in order to keep Ushijima away from him. He just can’t do it. His psyche is already being held loosely together with tape and rubber bands. Anything more and it might just shatter completely, and he can’t let this clan see him like that. He can’t leave Iwaizumi to pick up those pieces again. What would Kuroo think of him? Or all the men he’s expected to lead? How would Kuroo ever again trust Oikawa to protect him? How would the rest of Aoba Johsai be able to look at him as a pillar of leadership? This clan is all he has. If he falls apart and Nekomata kicks him out-

“Tooru.”

Iwaizumi’s voice cuts through his spiraling thoughts. He drags in a deep, slow breath. Then another. And another. Slowly, he lowers his arm and meets Iwaizumi’s searching gaze. Oikawa reaches up to trace his fingertips along Iwaizumi’s jaw, down his neck, and rests his hand over the two bullet scars on his abdomen.

“I promised him I’d kill him after he shot you,” Oikawa eventually says. His voice is softer than he means it to be, but if there’s anyone in the world he doesn’t have to hide his vulnerability from, it’s Iwaizumi.

“And I promised him I’d kill him for laying his greedy hands on you,” Iwaizumi answers.

“Looks like we both have promises that need fulfilling,” Oikawa muses.

Iwaizumi lays down next to Oikawa, rolling onto his side to face him. He props his head up on a fist. “You can’t let this bring you back to that place,” Iwaizumi says quietly. “You’ve been happier, since we joined-”

“I’m happy with you,” Oikawa interrupts.

“Shut up and let me finish. You’ve been happier since we joined this clan. Nekomata has taken care of us and the guys here have offered us the only family we’ve ever had. I know you like to hide it, that to you happiness equals weakness, but I can see it in the way you act with Kuroo. I can see it in the way you dedicate everything you have to your work. You’ve been so much better here. Don’t let that fuckface scumbag ruin that for you. So what if he wants you? This family is not going to let him have you. _I_ am not going to let him have you. You have hundreds of brothers ready to fight this shit for you. It’s not just you and me anymore.”

Oikawa can feel that his cheeks are wet. He knows that every word Iwaizumi says is true and he wants desperately to believe it. Iwaizumi wipes the tears from Oikawa’s cheeks, pulling him into his chest. Oikawa sucks in a shaky breath, burying his face against Iwaizumi’s bare skin.

“I’m going to kill him,” he declares, his voice wobbly with his tears.

Iwaizumi laughs, pulling Oikawa in tighter. “Get in line.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aiyooooo we back. its only been four months shhhhhh. i was stuck in like the weirdest place on this fic but i finally worked my way through it and now things are rolling. we'll see how long it lasts tho .-.
> 
> anyways guess whos finally making a reappearance:)))

“I don’t like how quiet things have been out there,” Kuroo says.

“It’s been less than a week,” Oikawa says from the bench press beside him. “Don’t go getting all impatient on me.”

Kuroo lifts the barbell again, Daichi’s hands hovering over the bar above him. He can feel his cheeks puffing up and his brow furrowing with the effort. His arms start shaking and Daichi’s hands close around the bar, but don’t offer any help. Not yet, anyway. Kuroo knew he shouldn’t have skipped out on the gym last week. Or maybe he shouldn’t have tried to match Daichi’s weightlifting routine.

“You probably shouldn’t be complaining too much about it being quiet,” Asahi offers from down the row. Kuroo drops the bar onto the rack and rolls his head to glance in Asahi’s direction. He eyes the amount of weight on his barbell and wonders if Noya would really be able to keep it from crushing his chest if he dropped it.

“Yeah, Kuroo-sama, don’t fucking jinx us,” Yahaba retorts from Kuroo’s other side. Kuroo’s not sure he’ll be able to catch the amount of weight Kyoutani has on his bar either.

“I’m not complaining,” Kuroo argues, giving up on his reps and sitting up. “I’m just saying, it’s weirding me out that there’s been absolutely nothing out there all week. Not just from  Shiratorizawa but from anyone. I don’t know that  even a single petty crime has been reported anywhere near the border. It’s weird....”

Daichi hands Kuroo a towel and he  wipes his forehead, neck, and bare chest with it. The gym the clan works out at is exclusive to Nekoma. With hundreds of tattoo-covered clan members that regularly need to work off the stress of this lifestyle, having their own gym where they can be themselves, talk freely, and strip out of their shirts without worry of who may see is a necessity. It’s run and maintained by the clan itself and is never closed. There’s almost always at least one person here.

“If nothing ever happens then… then nothing is lost but a little… extra effort on our part,”  Akaashi says between reps. Kuroo isn’t the only one trying to match weightlifting routines he shouldn’t be. Bokuto hovers above him. “But if something does happen… then we’ll be ready.”

“Akaashi is right,” Daichi says, adding more weight to the bar. Kuroo wonders if  _ he’ll _ be able catch this bar if Daichi drops it. Maybe they should all switch partners. “No point in worrying over it.”

“I know, I know,” Kuroo sighs. “Jeez guys, you don’t need to gang up on me.” His phone vibrates in the pocket of his basketball shorts and he reaches into the pocket to check it before Daichi starts his reps.

“How else are we expected to entertain ourselves?” Oikawa questions.

Loud, raucous banter continues around him as everyone takes the opportunity to make a dig at their boss. But Kuroo doesn’t hear any of it. He has a new text from an unknown number. His heart is in his throat as he hurriedly unlocks the phone. He nearly drops it.

_From: unknown_   
_Hi this is Kenma. From last week? You helped me with a mugger and walked me home… I know you probably forgot about that, but I was wondering… maybe this is way too forward of me, but I have that night class again tonight. Every Tuesday._

“Everything alright?” Daichi asks.

Kuroo nearly drops his phone again in his haste to shove it back into his pocket. Only then does he realize he’s been holding his breath. “Oh, uh, yeah, I just…”

“Oooh is it the boy?” Oikawa coos. “Did he finally text you?”

“Is it Kenma?!” Noya shouts.

“Who’s Kenma?” Yahaba asks.

“The young boss’s crush!”

“I should’ve known Suga wouldn’t keep his mouth shut,” Kuroo mutters under his breath. He takes a step back from the bench press. “I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time. I’ll go work on legs,” Daichi tells him.

Kuroo ignores the teasing remarks and  cat-calls directed at him as he heads towards the locker room. It’s empty, their little ragtag group the only ones here right now. Kuroo takes a seat on one of the benches. He takes a moment to try and regain control of his heart rate before he pulls his phone back out of his pocket. It doesn’t really work, and his heart is still racing as he opens the message.

Kenma thinks Kuroo forgot about him? The very idea seems so impossible to Kuroo after he had spent the last week thinking of almost nothing but Kenma. Kuroo had just started to accept the idea that he’d never hear from Kenma again. But now here he is, thinking that  _ Kuroo _ had forgotten about  _ him _ , when Kuroo had started to convince himself it was the other way around. He quickly saves the number in his phone.

_To: Kenma_   
_how could i ever forget that?? course i remember_

_To: Kenma_   
_and you cant be too forward if you dont ask me anything ;)_

As soon as Kuroo hits send, he immediately regrets it. He doesn’t know Kenma well enough- and more importantly, Kenma doesn’t know  _ him _ well enough- for Kuroo to be teasing him like this. He’s in the middle of typing out an apology when he gets a message.

_From: Kenma_   
_Fine, I’ll ask someone else to walk me home then._

A wide grin slowly stretches across Kuroo’s face.  Somehow he knows this is Kenma teasing him back, and he couldn’t be more thrilled. He quickly erases the message he had been typing and starts again.

_To: Kenma_   
_ah so you want someone to walk you home? and i was your first choice? kenma im flattered_

_From: Kenma_   
_You were my sixth choice. Don’t be so full of yourself. I’ll ask someone else._

_To: Kenma_   
_you wound me D: well it just so happens that ill be in the area tonight. if you change your mind let me know_

It’s a long minute before Kenma responds, a long minute where Kuroo starts to fear that he took his teasing too far.

_From: Kenma_   
_Tokiwa University, computer science building on the southeast corner of campus. 9pm. Don’t make me regret this._

_To: Kenma_   
_i wont make promises i cant keep. see you at 9_

Kenma doesn’t respond and Kuroo slips the phone back into his pocket. He knows he’s grinning like an idiot. And he also knows that if he steps back out into that gym to face those guys while still smiling like this, the teasing will get even worse. Just because he knows that doesn’t mean he has any power to change it. And right now he’s just  too happy to give a shit.

…

“You’re meeting him tonight, aren’t you.”

It’s not a question. Kuroo glances over at  Akaashi walking beside him.  Akaashi isn’t looking at him, his eyes are scanning their surroundings.  It’s quiet on the small street they’re walking along. Occasionally someone passes them, but no one gives them a second glance, despite the fact they’r e walking arm in arm.

“Maybe,” Kuroo admits after a beat of silence.

Akaashi smiles.  It’s small, just a twitch of his lips, and it disappears  almost as soon as it had appeared. “I’ll go meet with a few clients.”

“You don’t have to,” Kuroo says. Does he want an audience when he meets with Kenma? No, not really. But he feels a little guilty ditching  Akaashi to walk their route alone. And if he had to bring anyone with him to meet up with Kenma, he’d rather it be Akaashi anyway. “You know if it were Suga or Oikawa or even Bokuto with me right now they’d be demanding to meet him.”

Akaashi looks up at him with another little smile. “Where should I meet you?”

Kuroo sighs with a smile of his own. He should’ve known. Very unlike Suga, Oikawa, or Bokuto,  Akaashi has always been very kept to himself and private.  Of course he would understand Kuroo’s desire to keep a little bit of privacy without him having to say anything.

“You know that row house a client of ours owns? A few blocks that way,” Kuroo points. “Kenma lives there. I’m just walking him home, so you can meet me in the area. I’m meeting him at the university at nine, and it shouldn’t take more than maybe… twenty minutes to walk to the row house.”

“So around ten.”

Kuroo snorts. “Perfect.”

“It’s quarter to nine. If you don’t want to be late we should probably start heading that way,” Akaashi says, using their linked arms to steer Kuroo around a corner.

They walk in silence most of the way there. Some of the taller campus buildings are just starting to come into view above the smaller residential buildings when  Akaashi breaks the silence.

“Just be careful, Kuroo-sama. The whole reason I was assigned to this route was so that you wouldn’t be alone out here. My only job is to keep you safe.”

“I won’t let my guard down,” Kuroo promises him. A new wave of guilt washes over him with Akaashi’s words. He’s right. It’s the only reason he’s out here to begin with. Nekomata demanded that someone patrol with Kuroo to keep him safe. If anything were to happen to Kuroo while he was out by himself with Kenma, it’ll be Akaashi who takes the blame and Nekomata’s punishment. “I meant it, before, when I said you don’t have to leave. I really wouldn’t mind. I think out of everyone, I’m the least worried about you meeting him.”

“It’s alright. I trust you,”  Akaashi says as they reach the southeast corner of the campus and come to a stop on the sidewalk. They’re a coupe minutes late, so students are already filing out of building and out onto the streets to head home for the night. “Just call me if anything happens or even just seems out of place.”

“Will do.”

Akaashi reclaims his arm and steps back from Kuroo. “I’ll see you in an hour or so,” he says. “Text me if that changes.”

Kuroo nods and Akaashi leaves, heading back the way they had just come from. Kuroo would worry about him being off by himself too, if he didn’t know Akaashi better. He’s far from the easy, helpless target first glances would lead one to believe. Kuroo knows that from experience.

Students move past Kuroo on the sidewalk, and Kuroo is just turning toward the gate when someone touches his elbow. He startles, reaching instinctively for his gun. But when he spins around, Kenma is standing there, looking up at Kuroo in surprise.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you,” Kenma says, his voice soft. Kuroo didn’t realize he’d missed that voice.

“Well I didn’t mean to be scared,” Kuroo returns with a smirk. His heart is hammering in his chest, but it has nothing to do with the initial surprise. It’s probably more related to the fact that he nearly drew a gun on Kenma. “Shall we?”

Kenma nods and starts down the sidewalk. Kuroo follows. “No dog tonight?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. I mean- no, no dog,” Kuroo fumbles over the words.  He’s not usually so flustered, and  it’s a weird feeling. He usually knows exactly what he wants to say in any given situation. But for some reason, Kenma takes  all of that  surety away. He coughs into a fist  in an attempt to find his words again. “Didn’t realize it was really the dog you wanted. I’m hurt, Kenma.”

Kenma elbows Kuroo in the side and Kuroo’s grunt quickly turns into a chuckle. “I told you not to make me regret this.”

“And I told you I couldn’t promise anything,” Kuroo smirks. Kenma rolls his eyes.

They exit a narrow street and onto a main road. “Was that your brother?”

The question catches Kuroo off guard. “What?”

“The man that was with you on campus,” Kenma elaborates. “You two seemed pretty close. And you said your brother works in this area.”

Kuroo quickly thinks back to their first meeting, scrambling to remember what he said to Kenma. If he said his brother worked in the area, he must’ve meant Oikawa. He almost says yes anyway. He doesn’t remember giving Kenma Oikawa’s name. But he hesitates. If Kenma ever got a closer look at Akaashi, Kuroo isn’t sure he’d believe they’re brothers. They don’t exactly look alike. But then again, neither do he and Oikawa.

“Oh, uh, no. That wasn’t my brother. He was just a friend.”

Kenma looks a little surprised by that answer, but quickly hides the reaction by looking down at the sidewalk beneath his feet, his blond hair obscuring Kuroo’s view of his face. “Ah, okay.”

The reaction and response  confuse Kuroo a little. If anything, Kenma seems disappointed by Kuroo’s answer. But that  wouldn’t make sense. Why would it matter to Kenma that  Akaashi is his friend and not his brother? Kuroo decides not to press.

“So, game design, huh?” Kuroo asks after a long beat of silence. He needs to get them talking on a new subject before he loses his mind overthinking. “Sounds difficult.”

“At first it was, but as you get used to the programming and systems and the language, it gets easier.”

“How’d you choose a major like that?”

Kenma shrugs a shoulder. “I’ve always really enjoyed playing video games. And nothing else has ever really interested me. Well, except volleyball.”

Kuroo stops dead in his tracks. Kenma takes a couple more steps before he notices. He slows to a stop and looks back over his shoulder at Kuroo, an eyebrow raised beneath his blond tipped bangs.

“What?” he asks, clearly confused.

“Did you say volleyball?” Kuroo asks, maybe a little more excitedly than necessary as he jogs the few steps to catch back up with Kenma.

“Uh, yeah?” Kenma says, clearly growing a little nervous. “I know I don’t really look like the athletic type, but-”

“No! That’s not what I mean,” Kuroo quickly corrects. “I play.”

Kenma looks up at him with wide eyes. “You do? Well, you are pretty tall. I bet you’re good at it.”

“This is crazy. What position do you play?”

“Setter.”

“Middle blocker.”

Kenma actually lets out a small laugh at that and Kuroo’s grin grows. “I could’ve guessed that.”

“Do you still play?”

“No. I haven’t played since high school. And I only played because I had a friend that forced me to,” Kenma admits.

Kuroo’s spirits drop, just a little bit. “Oh. Did you not like it?”

“I didn’t say that. I didn’t necessarily like it or dislike it. But he made volleyball interesting, so I stuck around,” Kenma says.

“Well, if you’re at all interested in playing again, my broth- uh, my brother and my friends and I all still play. A lot of them are setters, but you are more than welcome to join us. The more the merrier. And I know a couple of them that wouldn’t mind getting to play spiker if we had enough setters.”

Kenma looks up at him with a raised eyebrow. “Are you all on a community team or something?”

“No, nothing as fancy as that. We know the teacher that’s the volleyball club advisor at Tama High School near where we live. He lets us use the gym there every once in a while after the high school team is finished practicing.” That’s not even completely a lie. Takeda works during the day as a high school teacher at their local high school, and although he stopped advising the boys’ volleyball club when he got too busy with work for the clan, he still manages to get them the gym key when they want to play on an actual indoor court.

“Alright. But more importantly….” Kenma glances up at Kuroo and Kuroo swears the little smile on his face is teasing. “Do you think  _ you _ are interesting enough to get me to play again?”

Kuroo can’t help but grin back. For as much as he seems to flounder in Kenma’s presence, there are times when he also seems to thrive. “Well, you’ll just have to come see and find out, won’t you?”

“Hm,” Kenma hums, looking away from him. “Maybe I will.”

“Yeah?” Kuroo grins. His tone is way too excited and Kuroo would be embarrassed if Kenma didn’t also sound a little excited.

“Yeah.”

…

“It went well, I take it?” Akaashi says once they meet up again a little while later.

Kuroo winces, offering Akaashi his arm. “Is it that obvious?”

Akaashi just smiles, taking the offered arm. “How’d it go?”

“Fine. I mean, I just walked him home,” Kuroo shrugs. “Oh! I found out he plays volleyball! And I… I… oh no.”

Akaashi looks at him in question, but Kuroo can’t focus on him right now. He thinks he’s going to be sick. He stops, pulling Akaashi to a stop with him, as the gravity of his conversation with Kenma suddenly hits him like a fully loaded truck. He really is going to be sick. Akaashi just stares at him, waiting for an answer to his unspoken question.

“I invited him to play with us.”

“And why is that-” Akaashi cuts himself off with an understanding sigh. “You basically invited him to meet your family.”

“Don’t say it like that!” Kuroo practically cries. Akaashi releases his arm as Kuroo doubles over, bracing his hands on his knees. “He didn’t outright say he wanted to play with us, but he sort of implied it. What if he asks? Oh no, if he meets all the guys…. What am I going to do?”

“First of all, you need to breathe,”  Akaashi says, patting Kuroo on the back in a way Kuroo is sure is meant to be comforting but in  reality feels somewhat belittling. “Second of all, I don’t think you need to  _ do _ anything. It’s just volleyball. If you don’t want Kenma-san to know what you are and your true connection with us, then it really won’t be that big of a deal, right? Just a couple of friends playing volleyball. And if you’re worried about how some of them will behave around Kenma-san, don’t invite them. I can play, and if I’m there, I can keep  Bokuto from getting too wild. Maybe don’t invite Oikawa-san. Or Sugawara-san. But there are plenty of others that will gladly play and that won’t harass Kenma-san or harass you  _ about _ Kenma-san.”

Kuroo lets Akaashi’s words sink in, then slowly stands. He can always count on Akaashi to cool his head when his thoughts start to spiral out of control. He has had a lot of practice, after all. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I mean, it doesn’t have to be a big deal if I don’t  _ make _ it a big deal, right?”

Akaashi nods with a smile.

“And it doesn’t have to be twelve of us,” Kuroo points out, already starting to feel a little better. “That could be a little overwhelming for him. Especially since we’re talking about our brothers…. We could do a three on three? And if it goes  okay we could maybe get full teams the next time?”

“Sounds perfect, Kuroo-sama,” Akaashi says, and now Kuroo  _ knows _ he’s being condescending.

“Don’t be an-”

Kuroo is interrupted as, just down the street, someone bursts through a convenience store front door and takes off down the sidewalk. The doors open again almost immediately as the store clerk charges out, waving a broom handle.

“Get back here, you thief!” the older man shouts at the kid sprinting away from him.

Kuroo and  Akaashi don’t even spare each other a look before they both take off after the kid. After a long week of nothing, Kuroo’s heart is racing, his blood pumping, eager to finally be doing  _ something _ , even if all this kid did was shoplift. All week he’s been waiting for something to happen, and now all that  pent up anticipation is pushing him faster, his lungs burning, a grin stretching across his face. He doesn’t care if this kid is in no way connected to Shiratorizawa. In fact, he’d prefer it if he wasn’t. But that won’t stop him from chasing the kid down.

The kid turns a corner and Kuroo motions for  Akaashi to continue straight while Kuroo follows the kid. If they can cut him off, they may  actually catch him.  Akaashi seems to understand Kuroo’s plan and nods, continuing down the sidewalk while Kuroo sprints around the corner, nearly running into the stone wall in his haste. He pushes off it with a hand and keeps running. The kid is right in front of him. He’s catching up. Kuroo’s gun sits heavy in the waistband of his pants, knocking against his spine with every step. He doesn’t reach for it though. If the kid was armed himself, he probably would’ve pulled it instead of continuing to run away from his pursuers. And Kuroo isn’t about to shoot at an unarmed kid. He may be yakuza, but he doesn’t fight dirty.

The kid turns again, sprinting down the narrow walkway running between the backs of the buildings and a small canal. Kuroo is gaining on the kid, his longer legs granting him that little bit of extra speed. He’s almost close enough to reach out and grab the back of the kid’s shirt when just down the way Akaashi emerges from a side street. The kid hesitates for a split second but that’s all Kuroo needs to catch up to him and wrap an arm around his neck from behind.

The kid starts to fight, thrashing against Kuroo’s hold and Kuroo tightens his grip. “Stop fighting. We’re not going to hurt you just s _ top fighting _ .”

The kid stops struggling, his hands coming up to grip at Kuroo’s arm still wrapped around his neck. Kuroo loosens his grip, just enough to keep from choking the boy out, but not enough for him to slip free.

“Sorry buddy,” Kuroo pants, his sprint suddenly catching up with him. He can feel the tingle of overworked muscles building in his thighs. “But you picked the wrong neighborhood.”

“You’re not the cops. Who the  hell’re you guys?!” the kid spits, renewing his struggle against Kuroo’s hold.

Akaashi pulls the collar of his shirt down as he closes the distance between them, revealing a strip of vibrant color across his skin. The kid freezes. His head rolls back against Kuroo’s chest to look up at him.

“You guys’re yakuza?” the kid asks, his voice quiet.

“We are,” Akaashi answers. “Why did you steal from that store?”

“I-I was just hungry, man, I didn’t realize that was your yakuza store or whatever,” the kid stutters, starting to squirm against Kuroo again. Kuroo believes him. The kid feels like he’s only skin and bones. “I’m sorry man, I won’t do it again, please don’t kill me.”

Kuroo  scoffs . He releases the kid completely and he stumbles to a knee before shooting upright and spinning to look between Kuroo and  Akaashi . “We’re not going to kill you,” Kuroo assures him. “We’re not even going to hurt you. All we want to know is if the name  Shiratorizawa means anything to you.”

“Shiratori-what?” he mutters. His confusion seems genuine.

“Good enough for me,” Kuroo shrugs. He looks to Akaashi. “You?”

Akaashi nods, stepping aside to give the kid a way out. The kid starts to take it, backing away from the both of them to slip past Akaashi.

“Hey kid,” Kuroo calls to him. The kid freezes again, turning slightly to look back at Kuroo. “I said we wouldn’t hurt you, but if we catch you stealing on our turf again, you won’t be so lucky.” He fishes in his pocket and finds a couple of bills. He takes a step towards the kid- who flinches away from him- and hands him the wad of cash. “Go back to that store and pay for what you took. And get yourself a couple of pork buns.”

The kid looks completely confused, but grateful at the same time. He bows his head low to Kuroo, then takes off down the narrow canal in the direction of the convenience store. Kuroo and Akaashi watch him until he disappears. Once he’s out of view, the two head out to the main street, continuing towards their car.

“Are you happy now?”  Akaashi asks Kuroo. Kuroo doesn’t have to see his face to know he’s wearing a smirk. He can hear it in Akaashi’s tone.

“It’s just so boring walking or driving around every night and not  _ doing _ anything,” Kuroo attempts to defend himself. “That wasn’t much of anything, but my blood is still pumping.”

“You’re too much of an adrenaline junky. One day you’re going to get more than you wished for,” Akaashi hums.

“I’m not  _ wishing _ for anything,” Kuroo argues, despite knowing that Akaashi is in no way trying to admonish him. “I know things aren’t going to stay stagnant like this forever. I know at some point, this thing with Shiratorizawa is either going to boil over and shit will hit the fan, or fizzle out into nothing and I’ll go back to helping with the weapons trades and gambling rings. I just don’t know how you guys do this patrolling shit every day and not get bored.”

“We are usually in assigned routes that we know very well. We know the people that live there, the people who work there, we have close relationships with our clients there…. It’s never boring. Walking new routes like this where none of the rapport exists is boring.”

“I suppose,” Kuroo murmurs. It’s silent for a long moment before Kuroo decides to speak again. “You know I’m not wishing for conflict.” It’s soft when he says it. “Out here, conflict will likely come from across the border, and you know I don’t want that. I don’t want this to boil over. I want it to fizzle out.”

“I know, Kuroo-sama,” Akaashi says, equally as soft. “It’s what we all want.”

They  walk in silence another block or two. It’s a silence full of racing thoughts and worries, but it’s also kind of comforting.  Akaashi tends to have that affect. That is, until he glances up at Kuroo and Kuroo can practically feel the smugness rolling  off of him before he even opens his mouth.

“So where were we?” Akaashi hums, and it’s clearly teasing. “Ah yes. At the part where you invited Kenma-san to meet your family.”

“Akaashi!” Kuroo groans, throwing his head back and slapping his hands over his face.

The sounds of Kuroo’s whines and Akaashi’s quiet chuckles mix with the ambient sounds of the downtown suburban Tokyo night as they continue down the street, arm in arm, both privately enjoying the peace that hangs in the air around them while it’s still there to be appreciated. Because neither know just how long it’ll be before it’s ripped away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did the end of this ch feel sudden and awkward to y'all? cause it felt sudden and awkward to me. oh well too late not changing it ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> anyways i promised myself that once i posted this ch, i wasnt going to work on this fic anymore until i get a bimv ch finished and posted so.... readers of bimv, that one is next. non-readers of bimv, it may be a little while before the next ch here. sorry orz


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and more kenma interaction!
> 
> there's a section in this ch where kuroo is texting someone at the same time as he's on the phone with someone else, and because i put both texts and the other end of phone conversations in italics, it may be a little confusing. if it is, please let me know so i can try to figure out how to fix it

_From: Kenma_   
_You’re not allowed to laugh._

A smile automatically finds its way onto Kuroo’s face as he reads the message. He leans back into the booth he’s sharing with Akaashi. Suga doesn’t even attempt to hide his smug curiosity. 

_To: Kenma_   
_i_ _cant_ _promise anything_

_To: Kenma_   
_what am i not allowed to laugh at_

_From: Kenma_   
_Forget it. I already regret this._

_To: Kenma_   
_aw_ _kenma_ _dont_ _be like that. now_ _im_ _curious_

No response comes through. Kuroo drops his phone onto the table with a smirk and returns his attention to Suga and Daichi across from him at the back booth of old man Ukai’s ramen shop. Just as he does, a heavy weight drops down onto the bench next to Kuroo. 

“Hey hey hey sorry I’m late!” Bokuto says, lifting a hand to fix his hair. He’s panting and a light sheen of sweat can be seen on his forehead. 

“Did you run here?” Kuroo asks, scooting down closer to Akaashi to make room for Bokuto. The bench wasn’t really meant for more than two people, but personal bubbles have never existed for any of them. Especially not when living in one house with two dozen other people. 

“Of course I ran here! I was late!” Bokuto says. “Did the guy already come?” 

“No, you’re lucky. He’s more late than you are,” Suga tells him. 

“We do know he’s coming, right?” Bokuto hesitates. 

“Yes, he contacted me earlier today to confirm our meeting. He’ll be here,” Daichi answers. 

“Good,” Bokuto exhales sharply. He turns in his seat and waves a hand to the young high school kid behind the counter. The boy jogs over to their table. “Get me a miso ramen then flip the closed sign and take a lunch break.” 

The kid nods vigorously and hurries back around the counter. It’s not uncommon for employees of Nekoma’s clients to figure out their bosses’ yakuza connections- especially the places that the clan members frequent- but the members try their best not to involve them more than absolutely necessary. And when it comes to kids, they’re even more careful to keep them out of clan business. Kuroo would’ve rescheduled or moved their meeting as soon as he saw Ukai had a high schooler on shift today, but the man they’re meeting is nearly impossible to get in contact with under normal circumstances. Now, when he’s on the move, it really is impossible. 

Kuroo’s phone buzzes on the table. He had been expecting it when Suga lunges for it, which is the only reason he reacts quickly enough to grab it before Suga can. He sticks his tongue out at Suga who huffs and crosses his arms across his chest as he sits back again. 

_From: Kenma_   
_I’m lost. Don’t. Laugh._

Kuroo can’t help it. He lets out a snort. 

_To: Kenma_   
_why would i ever laugh at something like that?? you wound me_

_From: Kenma_   
_Shut up I know you’re laughing._

_To: Kenma_   
_am not_

_To: Kenma_   
_can_ _i_ _call you?_ _ill_ _do my best to help you get unlost_

_From: Kenma_   
_Sure._

Kuroo’s thumb is about to press the ‘call’ button at the top of the conversation when the door to the ramen shop opens and a man ducks under the noren. Kuroo lowers the phone as the man glances around, then makes his way over to their table when he’s satisfied they’re all alone. Daichi reaches for one of the stools at the counter and pulls it up to the end of their booth for him. 

The man wears a baggy grey hoodie that obscures most of his face from view. All Kuroo can really see is a hint of stubble on his chin and a scar that cuts across his jaw. It’s not the first time Kuroo has met this man though, and he knows that scar extends all the way up his cheek and across his left eye. 

The five of them don’t speak a word as the young boy brings Bokuto’s ramen. He starts to turn towards the man, but Kuroo subtly shakes his head. The boy nervously bows his head in understanding, then hurries towards the door. He flips the sign before leaving. The only sounds for a few long, tense moments are of Bokuto slurping his ramen. Eventually, their guest is the first one to speak. 

“So, what’s the job?” 

“We need intel,” Bokuto says around a mouthful of noodles. “We need you to find out if Shiratorizawa is planning a war.” 

The man looks up at that and Kuroo catches a flash of hard brown eyes. “Shiratorizawa?” 

“Yes. You know they’re the only clan we’ve ever really had any issues with,” Kuroo says. 

“Yes, but you don’t seem to realize how hard they are to gather intel on,” the man retorts. “The only clan I’ve ever had a harder time spying on is Itachiyama.” 

Kuroo doesn’t bother to hide his sneer at the name. Neither does Bokuto, who’s fists clench so hard Kuroo hears his chopsticks crack. Daichi and Suga don’t even blink at the name, but no one in the clan besides Kuroo and Bokuto know what they did to Akaashi. Akaashi himself has a carefully constructed neutral mask on, but Kuroo can feel how much he tenses at the name. 

“What makes them so difficult to spy on?” Suga questions out of curiosity. “Shiratorizawa, I mean. Not Itachiyama. Although, you could tell us about Itachiyama too.” 

“They’re both hard for the same reason: they have serious trust issues. Everyone knows how much Itachiyama isolates itself, but Shiratorizawa is very similar. It’s hard to get eyes and ears inside without finding someone on the inside to spill the beans.” 

“Will you be able to do it?” Daichi asks, bringing them back on track. 

“Yes, but it might cost you extra,” the man replies. 

“That’s fine,” Kuroo says. “We just need to know.” 

“Alright. I’ll take the job,” the man says as he gets to his feet. “I’ll warn you now though that it’ll take me longer than normal. Don’t expect me to contact you for a few weeks at least. Could be a couple months.” 

Kuroo tries not to let his disappointment show on his face. If Shiratorizawa isn’t in a hurry, then it won’t be a problem. But Ushijima isn’t exactly known for his patience. Unfortunately, they have no other options. So Kuroo reaches into an inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulls out an envelope. He slides it across the table to the man. 

“You’ll get the rest once you deliver the intel,” Kuroo tells him. 

The man takes it with a nod, slipping it into the pocket of his sweatshirt. “I’ll contact you when I have your information.” 

He leaves, and Kuroo leans back into the booth with a sigh. The man has never disappointed the clan ever since Daichi introduced him to them, but he gives off a vibe that has never sat quite right with Kuroo. He’s shady, sneaky, and impossible to read- as he kind of has to be considering his profession- but it’s always unnerved Kuroo. 

“Will that be good enough?” Suga asks. “Do we have time to wait a couple months for information?” 

“It’ll have to be,” Bokuto says. “We don’t have any other choice right now.” 

“He’ll get the job done. He always does,” Daichi assures. 

Kuroo reaches for his chopsticks sitting on the rim of his ramen bowl, but his phone on the table catches his attention. He grabs it and quickly stands, pushing Bokuto out of the way so he can leave the booth. 

“I’ll be right back. Gotta make a call,” he says to the table. He holds out a hand to Bokuto. “I need to borrow your phone.” 

“What’s wrong with yours?” Bokuto asks, but reaches into his pocket nonetheless. 

“Nothing. I need to give Kenma directions but I don’t know that area well enough so I need to ask Oikawa.” 

“Is Kenma-kun lost? We could go pick him up,” Suga suggests, his tone dripping with false innocence. 

“Not on your life,” is Kuroo’s immediate reply as he takes Bokuto’s phone and ducks under the noren to leave the shop. He finds the high school kid behind the building smoking a cigarette. “Those’ll kill you, you know. You can go back in now.” 

The kid stubs out his cigarette and hurries back into the shop. Kuroo takes up the kid's vacated spot leaning against the back wall and calls Kenma on his own phone as he brings up Oikawa’s text conversation on Bokuto’s. As he listens to the dial tone, he quickly rethinks and brings up a conversation with Iwaizumi. 

_“Took you long enough,”_ Kenma’s soft voice says in lieu of a greeting. 

“Sorry, something came up. It’s taken care of though,” Kuroo tells him. A smirk starts to grow on his face. He just can’t help it when he teases, “So. Lost?” 

There’s a long silence before, _“I’m hanging up.”_

“Waitwait I’m sorry,” Kuroo cackles. “Sorry. Just… tell me where you are.” 

_“If I knew that I wouldn’t be lost.”_

“Hey now, I’m trying to help. No need to get smart with me.” 

_“You call this help?”_

“Don’t you have GPS on your phone or something?” 

Another long beat of silence. _“…maybe.”_

Kuroo can’t help it. He laughs out loud, which is immediately followed up by a soft _click_. Kuroo can’t stop laughing as he lowers the phone from his ear to redial. 

_“I don’t need you anymore,”_ Kenma says when he answers. _“I’m consulting my GPS as you so helpfully suggested.”_

“Were you looking for an excuse to talk to me Kenma?” Kuroo can’t help but ask, his tone still light from his laughter. And perhaps a little from fondness. He ignores the way his heart starts to race at just the thought. 

_“I will hang up on you again.”_

Kuroo laughs again, but it’s softer. His chest and fingers are tingly. And his cheeks are warm. “Where are you?” 

There’s a moment of silence, presumably as Kenma looks around. _“There’s a pretty big grocery store down the road. And a Book-Off across the street from it. I’m next to a FamilyMart and… there’s a park behind it I think.”_

“Walk to the park and tell me what it’s called,” Kuroo says as he pulls up a map on Bokuto’s phone. He searches for Book-Offs and finds one near a park that is probably the one Kenma sees. When Kenma gives him the name of the park a couple of minutes later, that confirms it. He frowns at how close to the border Kenma ended up. An idea comes to him, and he takes a screenshot of the map. He exits out of text conversation with Iwaizumi to bring up one with Matsukawa. 

_To: Matsukawa Issei_   
_[image attached]_   
_this is in your_ _territory_ _right? any good restaurants around here?_

_To: Matsukawa Issei_   
_this is_ _kuroo_ _btw_

“Are you hungry?” Kuroo asks Kenma as he types. He just ate, but he could eat again. Especially if it meant going out to eat with Kenma. 

_“Oh, uh… actually yeah. I haven’t eaten yet today,”_ Kenma slowly answers. His voice is softer than usual. 

_From: Matsukawa Issei_   
_[image attached]_   
_This is a great okonomiyaki place. You_ _gotta_ _go down this little alley and it’s_ _kinda_ _hidden behind the clothes store there on the street and yeah it looks_ _kinda_ _sketchy from the outside but it’s fucking bomb. Belongs to a client so tell her I said hi if you go_

_From: Matsukawa Issei_   
_What’re you doing all the way out there? Is anyone with you?_

“Do you like okonomiyaki?” Kuroo asks him as he types out a snarky response, deciding to ignore the fact that Kenma hasn’t eaten yet today apparently despite it being almost five in the afternoon. 

_To: Matsukawa Issei_   
_oops sorry_ _didnt_ _realize_ _i_ _was talking to my mom_

_“Yeah, I do. It’s been a while since I’ve had it though,”_ Kenma says. 

_From: Matsukawa Issei_   
_Fucking brat go get kidnapped see if I care_

“A friend says there’s a really good okonomiyaki restaurant right near where you are now. Do you want to go? My treat, of course.” 

_To: Matsukawa Issei_   
_( ˘_ _³_ _˘)_ _♥_

_“Yeah, sounds good,”_ Kenma says, and it might be his imagination, but Kuroo would swear he heard a smile in his tone. 

“Great! I’ll meet you at that park in… about twenty minutes?” Kuroo shrugs off the wall and hurries back towards the entrance of the ramen shop. 

_“Okay.”_

They hang up and Kuroo ducks under the noren. He tosses the phone back to Bokuto then holds out his hand. “Can I take your car?” 

“Sure,” Bokuto says, not even questioning him as he pulls out a set of car keys and hands them over. He doesn’t have as much luck from everyone else though. 

“Are you going to meet Kenma-kun?” Suga asks, resting his chin on a palm. That same smug smirk is still playing across his face. 

“Yes, I am, as a matter of fact. And if you even think about following me, I’ll cut off your finger myself.” 

“Ohoho he’s getting serious,” Bokuto laughs. “You should probably leave Kenma-kun alone.” 

Suga doesn’t seem at all deterred. He brings up his other palm to his chin, his smirk only growing. “It’s okay. If Kuroo-sama is at all serious about Kenma-kun, I’m sure I’ll meet him eventually.” 

Kuroo rolls his eyes as he leaves the shop. He knows this is how Suga is showing his support for Kuroo, which is why he’s not _actually_ upset or annoyed with him. He actually finds it reassuring. Suga’s approval- even if a little over enthusiastic- makes him feel like he’s not in the wrong for pursuing Kenma at a time like this, when the clan is on the brink of war. If this thing with him and Kenma ever progresses into anything serious- given Kenma doesn’t find out about Kuroo before then and leave him- Kuroo will gladly introduce Suga to him. And Suga knows this. He knows Kuroo isn’t annoyed with him, that he isn’t serious in his threats, which is why he continues to tease. And despite all appearances, Suga would probably be one of the first Kuroo introduces Kenma too. Because he knows that Suga would do anything to keep him safe and protected. He knows that Suga already sees Kenma as a part of their family, as someone important to Kuroo. And Kuroo doesn’t think he could put into words how much that means to him. 

Twenty minutes is too long of a drive when he’s on his way to meet Kenma for dinner. It gives him too much time to think about how it’s sort of like a date. But it’s not. It’s not a date because Kuroo didn’t say it was a date and neither did Kenma and if it _was_ a date then Kuroo would be freaking out. Well, freaking out more than he is right now because it’s definitely _not_ a date. 

It takes him not quite twenty minutes to get to the small parking lot just outside the park, right down the street from the okonomiyaki restaurant. It’s not until he’s walking away from the car that his mind finally stops running circles around itself long enough to remember that he’s wearing his suit. His steps slow. 

“Shit,” he mutters, starting to shrug out of his jacket as he turns for his car. 

“Nice suit.” 

Kuroo spins back around, his arms caught in his jacket as he simultaneously tries to put the jacket back on and finish taking it off. Kenma’s surprise turns into a smirk he’s clearly trying to suppress. Kuroo can feel his face heating up as he gets the jacket off and folds it over an arm. “I, uhm…” 

“Sorry if I interrupted something,” Kenma murmurs. “You could’ve told me you were busy.” 

“You didn’t interrupt. It was just a… a work thing. I was wrapping it up when you texted me,” Kuroo quickly explains. “So, shall we?” 

Kenma hums and follows as Kuroo leads him down the street. They’re quiet as they turn down a narrow street and pass a handful of small shops. Normally Kuroo doesn’t mind the quiet between them. Normally it’s comfortable. But now his mind won’t let go of the word ‘date’, and suddenly the silence is deafening. 

Thankfully, the restaurant isn’t far. But to call it a restaurant is a bit of a stretch. Kenma gives Kuroo a wary look when Kuroo finds the little alley Matsukawa had told him about, and Kuroo doesn’t blame him. There’s a tiny sign hanging above it that says ‘okonomiyaki’ and nothing else. They have to skirt a couple of trash bags to enter the unlit alley. 

“I know, but my friend says this is place is great, and I decided to trust him,” Kuroo says at the look on Kenma’s face. “But if you want to go somewhere else I would totally understand.” 

Kenma shakes his head as they reach a corner in the alley and follow it behind the clothes store. “I’ll trust you.” Before Kuroo has the chance to smile at that, Kenma continues. “Or rather, your friend.” 

“Fair,” Kuroo mutters. 

A gap in the roofing lets in the natural light of the setting sun as they find the entrance to the tiny shop. They enter the empty restaurant and pick one of two tables in the back corner. The rest of the available seats line the bar top, behind which a very small elderly woman appears with a call of ‘welcome’. There are no menus, their choices hanging on wooden tiles above the bar. The two of them are silent as they scan the tiles. 

“Know what you want?” Kuroo asks, his voice low. 

“Just the shrimp okonomiyaki,” Kenma says, and Kuroo stands with a nod. 

“One shrimp and one beef okonomiyaki,” Kuroo says, then lowers his voice as he leans on the bar top. “Matsukawa says hello. Has everything been alright with Oikawa and Iwaizumi?” 

The old lady’s eyes widen as she sets two cups of tea on the counter. Kuroo raises a finger to his lips with a glance back in Kenma’s direction. She seems to understand. 

“Oikawa-kun is a very sweet boy. I feel very safe with him and Iwaizumi-kun around,” she says with a smile. “Although I will admit that I miss Matsukawa-kun. I hope this arrangement is only temporary?” 

“Yes, ma’am,” Kuroo smiles. It’s important to keep their clients from worrying. “That’s my hope as well.” 

“Very good. I’ll bring out your order in a few minutes. And a side of gyoza for you and your friend. On the house.” 

“Thank you. That’s very kind.” 

Kuroo is just taking his seat at the table across from Kenma when the door slides open and an all too familiar voice carries through. Kuroo’s whole body tenses, enough for Kenma to notice. He looks up with a raised eyebrow as Kuroo quickly slides down in his seat to try and hide himself from the view of the two that are stepping into the restaurant. 

“-soon as he realized he couldn’t intimidate me, he made a complete one eighty and started laying it on _thick_ ,” Oikawa’s voice carries across the tiny shop. “I’ve never heard worse pickup lines in my life, Iwa-chan. I was embarrassed _for_ him. I almost took his number out of sheer pity. Oh! Kuroo-sama!” 

Kuroo cringes with his whole body as he straightens up in the booth. He offers a sneer at Oikawa who waves at him with a face-splitting smile. 

“I’m going to apologize in advance for everything that’s about to happen,” Kuroo mutters under his breath to Kenma as Oikawa and Iwaizumi make their way over. 

Kenma just seems even more confused until Oikawa slides gracefully onto the bench next to him, forcing Kenma to scoot down if he doesn’t want the taller man in his lap. Iwaizumi takes a seat next to Kuroo. 

“Kenma,” Kuroo starts to introduce, making sure to put extra emphasis on the name as he pins Oikawa down with his stare, “this is my brother-” 

Both Kuroo and Oikawa freeze, eyes widening a little at the slip. But it’s too late to take it back now. And Kuroo has already told Kenma that he has a brother, so it would seem that’s Oikawa now. Hopefully Kenma doesn’t question the fact that they look nothing alike. 

“-my brother, Oikawa Tooru.” 

Oikawa’s surprised look slips immediately into one of resigned disappointment. The look he shoots at Kuroo screams ‘Really? Are you fucking serious?’ and Kuroo wishes he could just slip down from his seat and through a hole in the floor. Not only do they look nothing alike, but Kuroo just gave Kenma a surname that doesn’t match his own after just introducing them as brothers. Kuroo’s heart had been racing at his first slip, but now it’s completely stopped and settling into his stomach. He looks to Iwaizumi and an idea suddenly clicks. He blurts it out before the silence has a chance to stretch into suspicious awkwardness. 

“Uh, and his husband, Oikawa Hajime.” 

Iwaizumi’s whole body freezes for a second before he turns to pin an unreadable look on Kuroo. Kuroo knows there’s a lot of baggage surrounding the two of them and the idea of marriage and he regrets what he said almost immediately. He’ll have to find a way to make it up to the two of them later. Thankfully, Kenma misinterprets Iwaizumi’s reaction as something else entirely. 

“Uh, it’s okay, you don’t need to worry about any prejudice from me,” Kenma mutters, his voice soft. Kuroo’s dead heart springs back to life with the glance Kenma shoots his way as he says it. 

“Oh, I wasn’t worried, Kenma-kun,” Oikawa sings in that annoying ‘I know more than you think I do’ voice. 

“Don’t be afraid to ignore him. He can be a lot to handle,” Kuroo tells Kenma with a gesture of his thumb at Oikawa. 

Oikawa’s hand flies to his chest as he gasps. “Rude!” 

“Not if it’s true,” Iwaizumi mutters into the tea the old woman sets on the table for him and Oikawa. 

“Iwa-chan!” 

Kenma looks between them. “Iwa-chan?” 

Oikawa hums as he rests his chin on his intertwined fingers, staring merrily at Iwaizumi across from him. “Oh, just an old nickname. We’ve known each other since we were very young, and old nicknames can be hard to let go of. Isn’t that right, _Oikawa-san_?” Oikawa suddenly jumps with what Kuroo presumes was a swift kick to the shin by Iwaizumi. 

The shop owner returns again with Kenma and Kuroo’s food, and quickly takes orders for Oikawa and Iwaizumi. The two of them crack their chopsticks and start to eat. Oikawa openly stares at Kenma and Kuroo laments the loss of what could’ve been a quiet, peaceful dinner alone with Kenma. If he had trouble convincing himself earlier that this wasn’t a date, it’s no trouble now. 

“It’s so nice to meet you, Kenma-kun,” Oikawa says. “Kuroo has told us _so_ much about you.” Kenma looks up at him with wide eyes and Kuroo fights the urge to drop his head onto the table. 

“Oh, well… he’s told me a little about you too,” Kenma returns after a moment of apparent floundering at the information. 

“Oh he has?” Oikawa sings, finally tearing his gaze from Kenma to look up at Kuroo. “Like what, may I ask?” 

“Uh… you have a dog.” 

Kuroo is really wishing that hole would open up and swallow him. Any minute now. Before his face gets any hotter than it already is, would be preferable. But he gets no such luck as Oikawa stares him down, merriment dancing in those light brown eyes. Kuroo knows that he’ll never hear the end of any of this. And this is exactly why he didn’t want Kenma meeting any of his family. Kuroo makes a note to murder Matsukawa later. There’s no other feasible explanation to how Oikawa found him here, in this hidden, back ally, quite literally hole in the wall restaurant. He couldn’t have known Kuroo was coming here with Kenma when he sent Oikawa, but Kuroo is going to kill him anyway. Right after he murders Oikawa. 

“Ah yes, my dog.” 

Iwaizumi slouches back in his seat and Kuroo doesn’t even have to look at him to know he’s rolling his eyes. 

“Yeah. He’s a pretty dog,” Kenma says, his voice getting even quieter. He clearly has no idea what to make of Oikawa or how to deal with him. 

“And what else has my wonderful _little brother_ told you about me?” 

“Tooru,” Iwaizumi says in warning. “Leave the kid alone.” 

“Just give me one word, Kenma, and I’ll remove this little shit from the restaurant,” Kuroo says. “I’m not even kidding. Just give me a look, a signal, and I’ll do it.” 

Kenma actually smiles at that and looks up at Oikawa. “He also says you play volleyball.” 

“Oh, yes I do! I’m a setter,” Oikawa says proudly. All teasing mischief has left his eyes, replaced by pure excitement. Most of the clan members love volleyball and love playing, but to Oikawa it’s something else entirely. Kuroo hasn’t met anyone as dedicated to the sport as Oikawa is. Kuroo still doesn’t quite know the whole story behind that, but whatever it is, it’s clearly an important part of Oikawa’s life. 

“Me too.” 

Oikawa claps his hands as his excitement grows too great to be contained. Kuroo mentally says his goodbyes to what could’ve been. Kenma is now Oikawa’s best friend. Maybe Oikawa will let Kuroo visit on weekends and every other Wednesday. 

“We should play together! I’d love to see your skills. And I don’t mean to brag-” 

“Yes he does,” Iwaizumi interrupts. 

“-but I like to think I’m a decent enough setter. Maybe we could learn from each other.” 

“I’ve never heard anything so humble come out of that mouth,” Kuroo says to Iwaizumi, but loud and clear enough for Oikawa to hear. 

“Me neither. I’m honestly shocked,” Iwaizumi replies. 

“Don’t be rude!” Oikawa whines. 

“That would be great, Oikawa-san,” Kenma says. “I haven’t played in a while, and I know I’m probably a little rusty. I’m sure you could teach me a lot.” 

“Don’t stoke his ego. He already has enough trouble getting his head to fit through doors,” Iwaizumi says. 

“Iwa-chan, mean!” 

“Kuroo said you guys play a lot,” Kenma continues, ignoring their banter. “He said he’d invite me to play with you guys.” 

Oikawa gasps, his hands slamming down onto the table, nearly causing the old shop keep to drop his and Iwaizumi’s okonomiyaki in surprise. She sets them on the table and hurries back to the counter. 

“And he hasn’t?!” 

“Not yet,” Kenma answers. 

“We haven’t even played since I told him that!” Kuroo quickly defends when Oikawa turns an angry glare onto him. 

“Don’t worry, Kenma-kun. We’ll definitely all play together soon. I’ll set up a game myself if I have to,” Oikawa declares. 

Kuroo rolls his eyes and turns his attention to his okonomiyaki so that he doesn’t have to deal with any of this anymore. Iwaizumi joins him and a light conversation continues between Oikawa and Kenma as they too start to eat. 

“Cute suit, _little brother_ ,” Oikawa hums around a bite of his okonomiyaki. “Working hard today?” 

“Yes,” Kuroo says shortly. “Had a very important meeting today. I was expecting you to be there.” 

“Do you two work together?” Kenma questions, lifting another bite to his mouth as he looks between them. 

“I was busy, _little brother_ ,” Oikawa says. The way he stresses the words makes Kuroo want to strangle him. “Besides, you know how much I don’t like that particular… consultant. I’ll just let you fill me in on how it went.” 

“We work for the same company but in different departments,” Iwaizumi answers Kenma’s question without looking up from his plate. 

“You work with them too? What do you guys do?” Kenma asks. 

Kuroo turns his scolding attention away from Oikawa at the question. He flounders for an answer to the question, one that would be believable, but Iwaizumi beats him to it. 

“Private security.” Iwaizumi doesn’t miss a beat. 

“Oh,” Kenma says, his eyes widening as he looks between them. “That sounds… kind of dangerous.” 

“It can be,” Iwaizumi says. 

Kenma looks between the three of them, and Kuroo watches his expression carefully. He doesn’t seem suspicious or unbelieving, but Kuroo worries anyway. They’ve thrown so many lies at Kenma today that it makes Kuroo nervous. It also makes him feel uneasy and guilty. 

The feeling sticks with Kuroo as the four of them finish eating. Oikawa must be able to sense his mood because he doesn’t tease or provoke or do anything at all to push Kuroo’s buttons for the rest of the night, which is very unlike him. Kuroo doesn’t take much comfort in it though. He’s lost his appetite. He feels like he might be sick. So much for a quiet dinner not-date with Kenma. 

The four of them leave the restaurant, filing back through the narrow alley. Oikawa doesn’t even make a retort about having to step over bags of trash. As they exit the alley, Kuroo frowns at realizing it’s already after sunset. It’s almost completely dark out, only a faint glow of orange lighting the far west horizon. 

“I’ll call Keiji-kun and tell him that you’ll meet him later?” Oikawa offers, apparently reading Kuroo’s mind. Eventually Kuroo will get used to Oikawa doing that. 

“Okay thanks. I’m just going to take Kenma home, then I’ll join him,” Kuroo says. 

“You don’t have to-” Kenma starts to say, but Kuroo shakes his head. 

“It’s alright. I want to,” Kuroo interrupts. “Besides, my friend works near your row house anyway, so it would be on the way.” 

At Kenma’s nod, they part ways with Oikawa and Iwaizumi and head to Kuroo’s car. They’re quiet as they walk down the dark street, towards the better lit parking lot outside the park. The air has cooled since the setting of the sun, and Kuroo is about to shrug back into his suit jacket when Kenma shivers next to him, bringing his hands up to tuck into his armpits. Without a word, Kuroo unfolds the jacket and drapes it over Kenma’s shoulders. Kuroo’s smile is completely genuine as he watches Kenma huddle into it. 

“So how did you end up all the way out here?” Kuroo asks. He doesn’t want to linger on this guilt that’s settled in his gut. It’s an unfortunate but necessary part of their relationship, and for now, there’s nothing he can do about it. So he does his best to ignore it. At least while he’s with Kenma. He can reflect on it later. 

“There’s an electronics store somewhere around here that sells recycled computer parts. I’m trying to upgrade my PC,” Kenma explains. 

“Sounds like you didn’t find it,” Kuroo observes. 

“I didn’t. I might not even be in the right area. I told you: I got lost.” 

Kuroo smirks, pulling out his phone and shooting a quick text to Matsukawa asking about the store. He makes sure to add a warning about his impending murder as soon as Kuroo gets home. “My friend might know about it. The one who recommended the okonomiyaki place. Did you like it, by the way? The okonomiyaki? Mine was good but if yours wasn’t please tell me so I can give him shit for it.” 

Kenma chuckles lightly, but shakes his head. “Sorry, mine was really good. Guess you’ll have to find something else to give him shit for.” 

Kuroo hums, looking at his phone as it vibrates. “That shouldn’t be too hard.” He reads the text from Matsukawa and slows to a stop. “He says there’s a place that sells computer parts just a couple of blocks from here. They might still be open. Do you want to check it out?” 

“I thought you were meeting someone,” Kenma says. 

“I don’t have to meet him now. It’s not like he’s waiting for me. He’s probably working.” Kuroo clears his throat as Kenma starts to follow him back the way they came. He rubs at the back of his neck, trying to build up the courage to say what he’s thinking. “Besides, since my wonderful brother decided to crash our dinner, it’d be nice to spend some more time with you. With just you.” 

Kenma looks up at him with wide eyes, then quickly ducks his head, but not before Kuroo catches a glimpse of pink cheeks and a hint of a smile. 

“Yeah, that’d be nice.” 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so in this chapter we've got 4 povs and not a single one is kuroo :)))

“Do you think he’s going to be okay?” Oikawa asks Iwaizumi as soon as Kuroo and his friend are out of sight.

“Why wouldn’t he be?” Iwaizumi returns. Oikawa takes his hand and Iwaizumi intertwines their fingers.

“Did you not notice how down he was getting while we were eating?”

“You don’t think that’s because you wouldn’t stop teasing him? Or leave his friend alone?” Iwaizumi questions with a raised eyebrow.

“No way, I always tease him and he never gets all mopey on me. How could you even suspect that, after all you’ve seen us get up to together?” Oikawa huffs.

“I know,  Shittykawa , I was joking,” Iwaizumi says with a roll of his eyes. “He’ll be fine. He’s a tough kid. Whatever it is that’s bothering him, he won’t let it get to him.”

“I know what it is that’s bothering him,” Oikawa murmurs, his voice soft. He’s worried himself, because he knows what’s hurting Kuroo and there’s nothing he can do to fix it. He can’t even imagine how he must feel right now. “We were lying to Kenma-kun all night. Lie after lie after lie. It’s no wonder he seemed so down by the end of the night. It’s obvious he really cares for the kid. It can’t be easy to keep lying to him like that. And it’s not just about inconsequential things. He has to lie about who he is. The biggest part of his life is the biggest secret he holds. Imagine if you couldn’t tell me anything about yourself. Imagine being forced to keep such a secret from me. Wouldn’t that tear you apart?”

Iwaizumi is quiet as he thinks over Oikawa’s words. But Oikawa wasn’t looking for an answer. He knows the answer. He’d never be able to be that secretive with Iwaizumi. He can’t imagine keeping the biggest parts of his life from someone he loves so much. He can’t even imagine having to do something like that with Kuroo or Bokuto, or even any of his closest brothers. He’s been forced to keep his fair share of secrets in his life. He’s even had to keep secrets from Kuroo. But in the end Kuroo always found out and it never turned out pretty. He doesn’t even want to think about how it all would’ve turned out if they hadn’t been tied together by their unbreakable bonds of brotherhood. Oikawa doesn’t want to think about what it’ll do to Kuroo if Kenma finds out and walks away because of it.

“I wish there was something I could do,” Oikawa breathes, his voice barely a whisper in the night. Iwaizumi squeezes his hand.

“I know, and I know if there was something you could do, you wouldn’t hesitate. But there isn’t. Right now he just needs to know that we support him, and that we’ll continue to support him no matter how this all turns out.”

Oikawa whines, loud compared to his earlier soft words. “This is all my fault!”

Iwaizumi stops dead in his tracks, shooting Oikawa an incredulous look when he’s yanked to a stop by their joined hands. “What the fuck led you to that conclusion?”

“If we hadn’t interrupted his cute little dinner date he wouldn’t be this upset,” Oikawa pouts. “It’s only because we were there that he slipped so many times and had to lie so much.”

“A secret like the one Kuroo is keeping was bound to fuck up his relationship with that kid eventually. One meeting with you wasn’t going to make or break it. Tonight wasn’t even that bad. Apparently he had already told the kid-”

“ _ Kenma _ ,” Oikawa interrupts with a frown as he starts walking again, pulling Iwaizumi along with him. “His name is Kenma-kun. Stop calling him ‘the kid’. He’s my precious kouhai and he deserves better than that. Especially from my  _ husband _ .”

Iwaizumi’s flat expression quickly shifts into a glower. “I will smack you.”

“That’s spousal abuse, Iwa-chan. If you’re not careful I’ll call the police on you.”

Iwaizumi sighs loudly in exasperation and Oikawa smirks, leaning closer into his side. “ _ Anyway _ ,” he stresses. “Kuroo-sama had already told the kid- Kenma, that he had a brother. So it doesn’t matter that he introduced you to him as such. Yeah, you two don’t look alike, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”

“He also lied when he told him that we’re married.”

“So what? We practically are.”

“Uh uh, no no no,” Oikawa quickly retorts. “There is no  _ practically _ married. You put a ring on this finger like I’ve been asking you to. You don’t get to get out of it that easily.”

Iwaizumi ignores the bait, but Oikawa knew he would. It’s a conversation they’ve had more than once, at varying volumes, and varying levels of drunkenness. Oikawa knows he won’t get into that again out here in public. Oikawa has no intention of trying to start that argument either, but he can’t help but pick at that scab every chance he gets. “What I’m saying is, that’s not that big of a lie-”

“According to you,” Oikawa mutters under his breath.

“-and none of the other lies he told are either. It’s not a lie to say we do private security work. Our clients pay us and we keep them safe.”

“That’s not the point though, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa says quietly, his tone growing completely serious. “It doesn’t matter if all the lies he tells are small ones. Or if they’re technically just… stretched truths. The point is that he’s yakuza and he can’t tell that to someone he cares about so he has to lie to him. The point is that he  _ has _ to lie.”

“And how is that your fault?”

Oikawa exhales sharply. “Alright, fine, that’s not my fault. I just feel bad that I might have sped up their doomed ending. If I knew he was with Kenma-kun I wouldn’t have actually gone in. I would’ve just kept an eye on him to make sure he was okay.”

“This isn’t on you, Tooru. You can’t keep trying to put the burdens of everyone in the clan on your shoulders.”

“You know very well I don’t do that with everyone. There are some guys in the clan I don’t give two shits about their personal problems.”

Iwaizumi doesn’t dignify that with a response, and Oikawa doesn’t press. Instead, he pulls Oikawa into him by their joined hands. Oikawa nearly collides into his chest, and Iwaizumi silences his surprised retort with a deep kiss. “I could distract you, if you’d like.”

Oikawa grins, leaning more heavily into Iwaizumi. He gladly takes Iwaizumi up on his offer. He’s not getting anywhere fretting about Kuroo and his relationship that’s doomed before it’s even started.

“We’re in public, Iwa-chan.”

“Then let’s find somewhere private.”

“I know what you’re doing, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa hums, following Iwaizumi’s lead down the street. “And I whole-heartedly approve. Let me just give Keiji-kun a call. Maybe he and Koutarou-kun can cheer Kuroo-sama up.”

…

The phone is only in the middle of its first ring when Bokuto answers. But that’s typical. If it takes longer than two rings for Bokuto to answer Akaashi’s calls, that’s when he starts to worry.

_ “Hey hey ‘kaashi! What’s up?” _

“Are you busy right now?” Akaashi asks him.

_ “Nope! Just finished up the last thing I needed to do tonight,” _ he answers.  _ “Why? Do ya miss me?” _

To anyone else, in that tone, they’d think he was trying to tease, or even flirt. But  Akaashi knows that he’s one hundred percent genuine in his inquiry.  Bokuto knows that it doesn’t take much for  Akaashi to miss him, that Akaashi struggles when he’s alone, and is nothing but supportive and caring. It’s one of the reasons Akaashi fell so hard for him.

“Of course. I always do,” Akaashi answers softly. “But that’s not what this is about. Oikawa-san just called me, and he’s worried about Kuroo-sama.”

_ “Oh? What happened?” _

“I don’t know everything, just what Oikawa-san told me. But I guess he found Kuroo-sama and Kenma-kun on a date and-”

_ “They went on a date?!” _

“It would seem so,” Akaashi answers patiently. “But Kuroo-sama ended up having to lie to Kenma-kun about who Oikawa-san is to him and what they do for work and he said by the time they left, Kuroo-sama seemed pretty upset.”

_ “Oh no… I can’t imagine how that feels. I’d hate myself if I had to lie to you like that,” _ Bokuto says, completely honest.

Akaashi holds his tongue. He knows  Bokuto was just being honest, and that he wasn’t being passive aggressive about his words. He’s not capable of such a thing.  Akaashi knows he is just being completely open about his own feelings. But  Akaashi can’t help the twinge of very old guilt that gnaws at him. Of course he doesn’t have any lies he’s keeping from  Bokuto now. But he used to. And keeping them from  Bokuto nearly killed  Akaashi .  So he understands very much how Kuroo might be feeling right now.

_ “Wait, I didn’t mean anything by that!” _ Bokuto suddenly shouts, Akaashi’s silence just a little too long.  _ “You know I don’t hold any of that shit against you.” _

“Of course, my love,” Akaashi replies. “I know you don’t. Doesn’t mean I don’t still feel horrible about it.”

_ “You shouldn’t though! You were going through a lot, and I totally understand why you didn’t want to tell anyone. And I love you despite all that, ‘kaashi. You know that….” _

“Yes, I do. What I’m trying to say is that I know how Kuroo-sama feels, and it’s shitty. So if you’re not busy, maybe you’d like to take this shift with him,” Akaashi says, quickly trying to shift the conversation away from himself. “He’s good at lifting your moods and you’re good at lifting his.”

_ “Alright! I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” _

“No rush,” Akaashi tells him. He takes a seat on a vacant bench in the park he had been walking to. It’s just a block over from Kenma’s row house. It’s become Kuroo and Akaashi’s meeting place after Kuroo drops Kenma off. “Kuroo-sama hasn’t brought Kenma-kun home yet.”

_ “Okay. See you soon. Love you, ‘kaashi.” _

“I love you too, Kou.”

…

“We should do something for Kuroo-sama,” Suga says, quietly sliding the door to the Karasuno common room closed behind him. It’s empty aside from Tanaka who is snoring quietly on his futon in the corner. Suga takes a seat next to Daichi on his futon, a laptop open in his lap.

“You’ve been talking with Oikawa-san, haven’t you,” Daichi says. It’s not a question. Oikawa has been almost as mopey as Kuroo has been this week. And with the way Suga and Oikawa love to gossip together, Daichi knows that they must be planning something. Suga found out from Oikawa about Kuroo’s little date and how it went wrong almost immediately after Oikawa had returned to the house that night, which means that ultimately Daichi knew too. He’s caught them whispering a number of times since then, and knew without question what they must be talking about.

“Maybe,” Suga hums innocently. He leans against Daichi, resting his head against his shoulder. Daichi continues to work on his laptop. “Tooru told me that Kuroo-sama invited Kenma-kun to play a volleyball game with him and some of the guys. Maybe we could set that up?”

“I thought Kuroo has been avoiding Kenma,” Daichi says.

“He has, which is why I’m getting really worried! Bokuto-kun told me that he saw Kuroo-sama ignore texts from Kenma-kun twice this week.  _ Twice, _ Dai. You’ve seen how he used to be when that boy texted him.”

“I know, but I think we should stay out of it. We should let him try to work this out himself.”

Suga snorts with a roll of his eyes. “You know Kuroo-sama as well as I do. Do you really think he’s going to do the right thing? No. He’s going to keep pushing Kenma-kun away for no reason and he’s going to get all upset and he’s not going to let anyone outside the family ever get close to him again.”

“Maybe that’s for the best.” Suga moves too fast for Daichi to react before his hand connects with the back of Daichi’s head. Daichi turns a glare onto Suga. “Ouch, what the hell was that for?”

“It’s not for the best!” Suga retorts. They both fall silent when Tanaka’s snores stutter, and he rolls over on his futon. They wait until Tanaka’s snores pick back up again before Suga continues, his voice just above a whisper. “Kuroo-sama really cares for Kenma-kun. You haven’t seen them together, but it’s adorable how Kuroo-sama goes completely soft around him. And he deserves to have someone in his life like that. You know he’ll never start a relationship with anyone from the clan- I mean ignoring that little thing he and Bokuto-kun had before Akaashi-kun arrived. He sees everyone as his brother, and it’s hard to switch from that mindset into something romantic. So if he’s ever going to have any romantic relationships, they’ll have to come from outside the family. If he pulls away from Kenma-kun, he may never find anyone else.”

Daichi sighs, closing his laptop and setting it aside so he can give Suga his undivided attention. “Okay, say you’re right and he doesn’t just date someone from another clan. What do you think we can do to get him to stop pulling away from Kenma? You know how stubborn he is. If he catches you interfering, it’ll probably only make things worse.”

“Not necessarily.”

“And the issue between them right now is that Kuroo is tired of constantly having to lie to Kenma, right? Forcing them together before he’s really dealt with that reality isn’t going to help. It’ll  _ definitely _ make it worse. He’ll be forced to lie to Kenma some more and then he’ll hate you too for putting him in that situation.”

Suga exhales sharply, leaning back on his hands. He stares up at the ceiling. “Why can’t he just tell Kenma-kun the truth?” he murmurs after a long minute of silence.

“Kenma isn’t one of us. Associating with yakuza isn’t a normal, everyday thing for him like it is for all of us. Kuroo outing himself as yakuza could cause Kenma to leave. It could even get Kuroo arrested depending on the kid’s opinion of yakuza.”

“Kenma-kun would never-”

“You don’t know that,” Daichi interrupts. “You don’t know this kid. And even if you’re right and Kenma doesn’t run away or turn him in, Kuroo doesn’t know that. Perhaps he doesn’t think it’s worth the risk.”

“But he’s pushing Kenma-kun away anyway, just for fear of getting a negative reaction,” Suga argues.

“My point in all of this is: there’s nothing you can do that Kuroo hasn’t already decided he doesn’t want done.”

“You’re worried about forcing Kuroo-sama into a situation with Kenma-kun where he’ll have to lie some more, right? Well, if they’re both playing volleyball, Kuroo-sama won’t have time to lie to him. They’ll be too busy concentrating on playing to be talking about personal stuff.”

“I’m not going to stop you if you and Oikawa decide to set something up, I’m just warning you that it might not go over as well as you’re hoping. And do you really want Wakagashira to be that pissed at you?”

“He won’t be. I’m too cute for anyone to be pissed at me.”

Daichi smiles, reaching out to wrap a hand around the back of Suga’s neck and pull him into a kiss. “Hm, don’t I know it.” Suga leans in for another kiss, shifting to straddle Daichi. “You know that I admire how much you care for Kuroo- for everyone in this family. I know you want to help him, but I just want you to be careful. This is a delicate situation, and I know how much you’ll beat yourself up if you make things worse between them.”

“It’ll be fine, Dai,” Suga says. He pushes gently against Daichi’s shoulders until he’s laying back on the futon with Suga hovering over him. “It’ll just be a volleyball match. I’m not even sure we’ll be able to get Kenma-kun there without Kuroo-sama’s involvement.”

“Yeah, exactly how are you planning to do that?”

“I’m leaving that to Tooru. He and Iwaizumi-kun are the only ones who’ve ever met Kenma-kun, and Iwaizumi-kun has already expressed his desire to be left out of this. Also Kenma-kun knows Tooru as Kuroo-sama’s brother. And I guess Kenma-kun seemed eager to learn from Tooru, although that could’ve just been Tooru’s ego talking.”

“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” Daichi questions with a wary look.

“Relax, Dai. It’s not like we’re planning on kidnapping the boy,” Suga reassures, but Daichi feels less than assured. Suga leans in and starts to press lingering kisses along Daichi’s jaw and down his neck, and Daichi’s uneasiness quickly evaporates. “Now, how much do you think we can get away with without waking Tanaka- kun ?”

Daichi grins. “Depends on how well you can keep quiet.”

…

After six  attempts , Kenma finally gives up trying to read this page of his textbook and gently closes it. He hasn’t been able to concentrate at all the last two weeks, and his weekly exams have shown just that. He tries to tell himself it  _ can’t _ be because of a boy. It can’t be because he has a crush. But it is. It’s all because of Kuroo.

Kenma’s never connected so quickly with anyone, and  he’s not used to these feelings that have been fluttering around in his chest for the past few months. It feels like his life has suddenly been divided into two parts: before he met Kuroo, and after he met Kuroo. At first he tried to ignore the way Kuroo’s face lingered in his mind for weeks after they first met, or the way his palms had gotten so sweaty and clammy the day he finally worked up the courage to send him that first text, or the way his heart races now whenever Kuroo’s name lights up his phone with an incoming call or text. But he had eventually come to terms with them. After a couple  months of this, he was finally forced to conclude that if his feelings were some  sort of hero-worship after being saved from a mugger by a handsome stranger, they  would’ve gone away by then. But they were only getting stronger. The more he talked with Kuroo, the more often Kuroo met him after school to walk him home, the more he got to know Kuroo, the stronger and stronger these feelings grew. He  couldn’t run from them anymore.

When Kuroo had invited him to dinner  almost two weeks ago, Kenma’s mind had  immediately screamed ‘date ’, and he had agreed without a second’s hesitation and with his heart in his throat. He had been so excited to go on a date with Kuroo- even if Kuroo  hadn’t specifically said it was a date- that his hands had shook while he sat on that park bench waiting for Kuroo to arrive. And when he had stepped out of that car wearing that suit-

But something went wrong that night, and that’s what has Kenma so distracted. It was definitely clear that Kuroo hadn’t intended for his brother to show up with his husband, and had even seemed a little annoyed with their presence- perhaps he had been thinking of it as a date too, then?- but Kenma hadn’t minded. In fact- aside from losing out on some private time with Kuroo- Kenma had enjoyed himself that night. Kuroo’s brother is quite a character, and Kenma had enjoyed talking to him, which he can’t say for most people. And Kenma had really enjoyed watching Kuroo and his brother interact. It was quite obvious from the very first words they exchanged- despite Kuroo being annoyed with him- that they are very close. Kenma felt, by meeting his brother and witnessing how they acted around each other, that he had learned a lot about Kuroo. Kuroo definitely has his secrets, and despite all the things Kenma learns about him, he always feels like he’s only scratching the surface. So he had really enjoyed that night with Kuroo and his brother, and even his brother’s quiet and serious looking husband.

But clearly Kenma had missed something. There must’ve been some social cue that Kenma- unsurprisingly- hadn’t picked up on. Because Kuroo has been avoiding him ever since. He walked him home from his night class the following Tuesday, and the Tuesday after, just as he has every Tuesday night since they first met, but that’s the only time Kenma has seen him in the last two weeks. And they hardly exchanged a handful of words either time. Kenma’s phone has been silent as well. Not a single text since then other than to let Kenma know that Kuroo was waiting for him outside his university.

Had Kenma done something wrong? Had he said something that night as they were eating? Or did he not say something when he should’ve? Kenma’s never been great in social situations. He’s always struggled a little to participate in casual conversations. But he’s never really been all that self-conscious about it until now. Until it has possibly ruined his relationship with Kuroo.

It had to have been something that happened while they were eating. That’s when Kuroo had been acting the strangest. After they had left, when Kuroo had offered to take Kenma to that computer parts store, he had seemed fine. At the time. But the more Kenma thinks back on it, the more he realizes that Kuroo hadn’t been acting quite normal. He hadn’t been as talkative. His normal smug attitude wasn’t there. He had said he wanted to spend some time with Kenma alone- which had sent Kenma’s heart racing- and that seemed to have been genuine. And when he had given Kenma his coat with a sincere smile…. That couldn’t have all been fake, could it?

What if Kuroo has just been humoring Kenma? If he has, then how long has he been? Was it just that night? Or has it been since they first met? Maybe Kuroo had just been being nice when he gave Kenma his number with the invitation to call him if he ever needed anything. Perhaps he hadn’t been expecting Kenma to actually contact him. Maybe he was just too nice to refuse when Kenma asked him to walk him home again.

Or what if it has nothing to do with Kenma or what he may or may not have done at all? What if it’s because Kuroo is-

A knock on Kenma’s door pulls him from his downward spiraling thoughts. He jumps so hard he nearly falls over. A glance at his clock as he stabilizes himself reveals that it’s almost ten. What would his landlord want from him this late? Kenma stands, but an errant thought has him freezing halfway to his feet. What if it’s not his landlord? What if it’s….

Kenma rushes to his door and throws it open. His immediate reaction is disappointment- because it’s not Kuroo- before it’s quickly replaced by a weird mixture of confusion, worry, and a bit of hope.

“Oikawa-san?” Kenma says after a minute. He tries to think of a reason why Kuroo’s brother would be knocking on his door so late on a Saturday night, and can’t come up with anything. At least, nothing good.

There’s another man standing a little back from Oikawa. The first thing Kenma notices about the man is that, just like Oikawa, he’s beautiful. The two of them standing next to each other is almost distracting. The man has light silver hair, and a mole under his left eye. He has this air about him that has Kenma immediately trusting him, despite that he doesn’t even know the man’s name.

“Hello Kenma-kun! I’m sorry for disturbing you so late,” Oikawa says. His smile is just how Kenma remembers it from that night at the okonomiyaki restaurant: bright and nearly distracting.

“You’re right, Tooru,” the other man hums. “He’s absolutely adorable.”

Kenma’s eyes widen and he can feel his cheeks starting to color. To hear a compliment like that from a man who looks the way he does….

“Isn’t he?” Oikawa replies with a quiet giggle. “Ah, where are my manners? Kenma- kun , this is Sugawara Koushi,  a very good friend of mine and Kuroo’s. Koushi-kun, this is Kenma-kun, Kuroo’s precious friend.”

Precious friend? Kenma’s cheeks heat up even more and he quickly bows his head to try and hide it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sugawara-san,” Kenma says, almost entirely on reflex.

“No, the pleasure is all mine,” Sugawara replies with a dazzling smile that could rival even Oikawa’s. “And you can call me Suga.”

“Is Kuroo okay?” Kenma finds himself asking after a beat of silence. It’s the first thought that popped into his head after seeing Oikawa at his door, and his worry is beginning to grow.

“Hm? Oh, yes, he’s fine!” Oikawa says, quickly waving away Kenma’s worry. And Kenma does indeed feel a little better to hear that. “And you’ll have to forgive him for giving me your address. I was very persistent with him.”

“Hm,  _ threatening _ would be the word I’d use,” Suga smirks.

“It’s fine,” Kenma murmurs. He actually doesn’t mind at all. Now that his pressing worry for Kuroo has been abated, his confusion takes over. “Did you need something?”

“Yes, in fact! I need  _ you _ ,” Oikawa says with a smile.

“I’m guessing you didn’t test that out in your head first before saying it out loud,” Suga giggles. “I promise he’s not here to kidnap you, Kenma-kun.”

“Of course that’s not what I meant!” Oikawa pouts. “Yes, I’m here to take you away, but it’s entirely voluntary.”

“Stop digging, Tooru-kun,” Suga says, holding a hand to his mouth to try and contain his laughter.

“Shut up, Koushi-kun! What I’m  _ trying  _ to say, is that, if you’re not too busy, we’d love for you to come play some volleyball with us. We have access to a high school gym tonight, so we’re going to play a few sets. It would be great if you could join us.”

“You should’ve just started with that.”

Kenma’s amusement at watching their playful back and forth instantly evaporates at the invitation. He almost immediately agrees to play- he isn’t busy, after all- but he hesitates. “Does Kuroo want me to play?” he can’t help but ask. Kuroo has been avoiding Kenma for weeks. As much as Kenma hates it and wants to see Kuroo again outside of their weekly walks from the university to Kenma’s row house, he doesn’t want to make him mad or uncomfortable.

“Of course he does!” Oikawa immediately answers, but then frowns. “Alright, I’ll be honest and tell you that he doesn’t know I’m here, or that I’m inviting you to play with us.” Suga elbows him in the side with a hushing noise, but Oikawa plows on regardless. “But, I know he wants to play with you. He’s told me that more than once.”

“I can vouch for that,” Suga quickly adds.

Kenma is a little skeptical. He really doesn’t want to upset Kuroo. But it’s not like Kuroo has been completely avoiding him. He still walks Kenma home every Tuesday night. And in all honesty, Kenma isn’t strong enough to say no.

“Okay.”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, I'm on [tumblr](http://bokusaka.tumblr.com/) so come yell at me. I'll occasionally post status updates there also, so if you want a heads up on when chapters will be posted come join my chaos


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